Schoeni Gallery is putting on a very interesting show about Mongolian contemporary art. Since the late 1980s, Mongolian Art has moved from the stifling influence of Soviet Socialist Realism to one that embraces all contemporary art styles and forms. The artists of the capital, Ulaanbaatar, now represent an emerging democracy whose vitality informs their wide-ranging narratives that address some of the most important issues of urban life, the changes of the country, its people and landscapes are undergoing.
Many explore the relationship between both tradition and modernity that are present in contemporary life in Mongolia.
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| Bayarmagnai Avirmed |
By melting, morphing, lacerating faces with objects or the background in his portraits, Bayarmagnai Avirmed (Magnai) depict the mental state of suffocation and alienation due to urbanization, overcrowding, overpopulation, social and financial inequities and struggle leading to hatred in Mongolia today.
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| Batbaatar Khurelbaata |
Batbaatar Khurelbaatar (Batna) recreates a lost world from the early 1900s in Mongolia, in the series aptly called "Pinhole", where he captures a time long forgotten.
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| Lkhagvadorj Enkhba |
Lkhagvadorj Enkhbat (Lagva) documents the street life of the least fortunate ones, often homeless drunks, a fate caused by urbanization and the fast development of the Mongolian economy.
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| Batzorig Mart (Batzorig) |
Delving into the world of dreams, Batzorig Mart (Batzorig) conveys the fantastic through his surrealistic mixed-media works.
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| Badral Buyantogtokh |
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| Erdenebayar Monkhor |
The richness of their visions and aesthetics makes the group exhibition “Urban Narratives: New Contemporary Mongolian Art” a compelling one, and gives a new perspective on the Mongolian art scene.