Innovating Tradition: A Contemporary Mongolian Art Exhibition - Group Exhibition
16 May - 19 July, 2019
MC, Atrium, World Bank
The World Bank Group Art Program, in partnership with the East Asia Pacific Vice Presidential Unit and the Mongolian Country Office, and on the occasion of the Export Development Project for improving competitiveness of Mongolian enterprises, presents Innovating Tradition: A Contemporary Mongolian Visual Art Exhibition.
Innovating Tradition: A Contemporary Mongolian Visual Art Exhibition was curated through a call for submissions. Nearly seven hundred works of art—from paintings to sculptures, and mixed media to calligraphy—were submitted by Mongolian artists living in Mongolia and abroad. The robust outpouring of creative engagement yielded a final selection of thirty-eight works. Juried by a panel of art historians and development professionals, the final selections were curated to celebrate the rich cultural voices in Mongolia today and inspire conversation about the socio-cultural ideas, as seen through the eyes of the country’s cultural producers who are reflecting on, and shaping 21st century Mongolian identity.
This exhibition presents artists that are both emerging and more established in their practice. Many artists in the exhibition are currently undergoing their artistic studies or have completed their course of study within the last five years.
The works in this exhibition are varied in their mediums, subject matter, and styles, but unified
in their concept: all the works engage with the idea of innovation. The ideas around innovation in these artworks are not approached by simply depicting a new piece
of technology, or by employing new painting techniques. Instead, the ideas around innovation
in these pieces live in the very roots of the works—in the artist intention to reveal deep contemplations on how traditional Mongolian perspectives, beliefs, and lifestyles can be shifted, shaped, and renovated.
Innovating Tradition: A Contemporary Mongolian Visual Art Exhibition was curated through a call for submissions. Nearly seven hundred works of art—from paintings to sculptures, and mixed media to calligraphy—were submitted by Mongolian artists living in Mongolia and abroad. The robust outpouring of creative engagement yielded a final selection of thirty-eight works. Juried by a panel of art historians and development professionals, the final selections were curated to celebrate the rich cultural voices in Mongolia today and inspire conversation about the socio-cultural ideas, as seen through the eyes of the country’s cultural producers who are reflecting on, and shaping 21st century Mongolian identity.
This exhibition presents artists that are both emerging and more established in their practice. Many artists in the exhibition are currently undergoing their artistic studies or have completed their course of study within the last five years.
The works in this exhibition are varied in their mediums, subject matter, and styles, but unified
in their concept: all the works engage with the idea of innovation. The ideas around innovation in these artworks are not approached by simply depicting a new piece
of technology, or by employing new painting techniques. Instead, the ideas around innovation
in these pieces live in the very roots of the works—in the artist intention to reveal deep contemplations on how traditional Mongolian perspectives, beliefs, and lifestyles can be shifted, shaped, and renovated.
Using darkly saturated oil paint alongside sparkling gold overlay, artists reconsider the role of traditional Mongolian mythology in forming the human psyche; in pieces featuring intensely colorful brushstrokes female figures are depicted with bold agency, renewing conversations about femininity in Mongolian society; in yet even more pieces, artists celebrate the cultural touchstones in Mongolia such as the nomadic lifestyle as imaged by abstracted architecture, and sculptural horses. All the works use a visual language that push aesthetic conversations forward and quite simply, but ever so importantly, innovate tradition.
—Juliana Biondo, Assistant Curator, World Bank Group Art Program
The World Bank Group Art Program would like to extend a special thanks to our panel of jurists and partners whose insights proved invaluable to the development of this exhibition:
Juliana Biondo, World Bank Group Art Program
Batzul Dashdorj, World Bank Group, Finance and Accounting
Marina Galvani, World Bank Group Art Program
Delgermaa Shagdarsuren, Associate Project Manager
Ulle Lohmus, World Bank Group, Finance Competitiveness and Innovation
Emma Stein, Freer Sackler Smithsonian, Curatorial Fellow, Southeast Asia Art
Uranchimeg (Orna) Tsultem, UC Berkeley, Lecturer, Art of Mongolia and Tibet
Exhibition Details
Title: Innovating Tradition: A Contemporary Mongolian Art Exhibition - Group Exhibition
Address: MC, Atrium, World Bank, 1818 H Street, NW, Washington D.C, USA
Dates: 16 May - 19 July, 2019
Opening Hours: Monday to Sundays, 11am to 17:00pm
Admission:
For press information and images please contact:
Email: [email protected]
Title: Innovating Tradition: A Contemporary Mongolian Art Exhibition - Group Exhibition
Address: MC, Atrium, World Bank, 1818 H Street, NW, Washington D.C, USA
Dates: 16 May - 19 July, 2019
Opening Hours: Monday to Sundays, 11am to 17:00pm
Admission:
For press information and images please contact:
Email: [email protected]