Mo Ganji: Przewalski’s Horse | Przewalski-Pferd | Equus ferus przewalskii | No. 165/250 from work group 8/99

Przewalski’s Horse | Przewalski-Pferd | Equus ferus przewalskii

Mo Ganji returns to questions of essence and reduction with the Przewalski’s horse — a stocky, wild equid of the Central Asian steppes — by allowing the line to strip the being back to its core presence. The continuous line does not aim to describe anatomy or historic significance; instead, it pares away the non-essential until what remains is a concentrated sense of existence. In Ganji’s understanding, the line is not bound to the horse alone: it may equally stand for something else, reminding us that every figure is also a concept, temporarily named.

Equus ferus przewalskii is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List. Once extinct in the wild by the late 1960s, the species survived only through captive populations. Carefully coordinated breeding and reintroduction programs have since returned Przewalski’s horses to parts of Mongolia and China. Despite this success, wild populations remain small, geographically limited and dependent on continued management.

The principal threats include habitat degradation, competition with livestock, harsh climatic conditions and the legacy of genetic bottlenecks from its near-extinction. Although reintroduced herds now roam freely, their long-term viability remains closely tied to human stewardship and landscape protection.

Ganji’s single line opens a space in which the horse can be encountered beyond narratives of return or wilderness restoration. It draws attention to a life recovered through deliberate reduction and care, suggesting that what we call “wild” often survives today not through distance from humans, but through a fragile balance shaped by conscious restraint.