Heesco in front of his mural of Vivian Malo in Collingwood, Melbourne.
Heesco - Homeland - Mongolia
Documentary by Kevin Flores
Heesco
Known by the artist name Heesco®, Khosnaran Khurelbaatar is a Mongolian-Australian muralist and fine artist.
Born in 1979 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Heesco moved to Australia in 1999. He graduated Sydney College of the Arts with a Bachelor of Visual Arts degree in 2005. Heesco relocated to Melbourne in 2010, where he has established himself as one of the leading contemporary mural artists.
In 2020 Heesco was commissioned by the residents of Yarram, VIC, to create a series of murals to garner visitors into the small town, in a project known as “Heesco Town”, which got national and international media attention, and was awarded “Best Street Art Trail”. Currently there are 22 murals by Heesco in Yarram. (Watch the ABC News coverage of Heesco Town here).
The same year Heesco was commissioned by Her Excellency the Governor of Victoria to create a mural expressing gratitude towards the frontline workers during the catastrophic bushfires and the COVID19 pandemic. The Governor subsequently has donated the mural to Yarram where it is on permanent display at the Memorial Garden (watch news coverage here).
Heesco is currently Australia’s most prolific silo artist to date, with 5 silos and a water tower to his name. His silo artwork in Karoonda, SA, was recognised as the “Best of the Best” and “Best Mega Mural” in the annual Australian Street Art Awards. Heesco’s Weethalle silo art was featured on limited edition stamps by Australia Post in 2018, which featured first silos painted in each state.
Other notable projects include a mural for World’s 50 Best event in Melbourne; curating a 100m mural for the United Nations in Ulaanbaatar; collaborations with Marvel, Youtube, Puma, Nike, Nikon, NEP Australia, Ground Central Coffee Co (NYC), Superchief Gallery (NYC) etc.
Heesco’s murals have been featured in National Geographic, Geo Saison (Germany), StuArt Magazine (France), Graffiti and Street Art Around the Globe (Spain), and numerous local books and magazines. His politically charged work was featured on the cover of the Griffith Review, and a poster for black comedy Bad President (2020).
Heesco is the first “Magic Ambassador” appointed by Lantuun Dohio - a non-profit organisation with branches in Mongolia and the USA, dedicated to eradicating child abuse and human trafficking in Mongolia and internationally. He frequently works with local councils in youth and community development programs, as well as schools and universities, as a mentor and workshop coordinator, as well as pro bono work for various NGOs and charity organisations.
Heesco is a Doug Moran National Portrait Prize finalist, winner of Footscray Art Prize, and is the subject of a 2018 documentary film “Heesco - Homeland, Mongolia” by filmmaker Kevin Flores.
Heesco lives and works in Melbourne, Australia.