New exhibition transcends boxed Mongol zurag concepts
The Mongol Zurag Society is exhibiting breathtaking artworks incorporating the Mongol zurag style at a new group exhibition at the Gallery of the Union of Mongolian Artists.
The society holds the “Mongol Zurag” exhibition every year to showcase new artworks, introduce new trends in the Mongolian traditional art style, and support emerging artists. This year’s show launched on October 2 with more than 70 oil paintings, watercolor art and mixed art pieces by 40 local artists.
The Mongol Zurag Society was founded by painter B.Nyamkhuu in 2001 with a total of 14 members. The society is pleased with increasing membership, which indicates growing interest in the traditional art. The main purpose of the annual exhibition is to advance Mongol zurag, promote Mongolian art on the international market, and help create high quality art that pave a clear road for the future of the art industry.
Mongol zurag is a style of painting that is characterized by the depiction of secular, nationalist themes in a traditional mineral-paint-oncotton medium similar to Tibetan thangka. The style was pioneered in the aftermath of the 1921 Revolution by artists such as Sh.Balduu, whose “One Day” in Mongolia remains one of the most celebrated works of Mongolian art.
Mongol zurag paintings featuring scenes from everyday life, in both contemporary collective farm and traditional pastoral nomadic settings, became popular in the 1950s and 1960s, in the wake of the success of Ya.Urjin's “The Old Fiddler”. However, the new art show reveals new projections and trends of Mongolian art.
For example, G.Gerelkhuu’s “Exoplanet” is a huge acrylic painting that immediately captures your attention with its combination of art with science. From a distance, it appears to be a detailed plan of a war campaign and have duplicate blue small cubes of soldiers on horseback but when you come closer, you notice that the artist took his time drawing each and every soldier. He added dinosaurs on two sides, which seemed random and even wrote algebra formulas all over the painting. They seem to test your intelligence and whether you’re really seeing the art.
On the other hand, L.Khongorzul’s “Life” is a less complex acrylic painting ng that prompts people to look deeper into their r inner emotions and feelings. It soothes the viewer wer with a light color palate. Like so, the exhibition on amplifies and transcends the boxed concept of f Mongol zurag.
The “Mongol Zurag” exhibition tion will be open to the public through October 10 at the Gallery of the Union of Mongolian Artists, ts, located southwest of Sukhbaatar Square.