8 THE MONGOL MESSENGER

art&culture

Friday, April 5, 2013

ARTS COUNCIL OF MONGOLIA

By Teresa Nichols From April 1 through April 5, a special exhibition at the National Modern Art Gallery of features 24 paintings that have been restored after being damaged during the 2008 fires. This collaborative exhibition was organized by the Center of Cultural Heritage; the Ministry of Culture, Sport, and Tourism; and the U.S. Embassy to Mongolia. With financial support from the U.S. Ambassadors Fund and training from the Williamstown Art Conservation Center, the Center of Cultural Heritages conservation program was able to purchase specialized technical equipment including a Vacuum Heat Table and to restore several paintings to their former condition. Previously, Mongolian conservators had little experience working with fire-damaged materials, so this longterm project and intellectual exchange has restored an important part of Mongolias national art collection and built the capacity of Mongolian conservators. At the exhibition opening on April 1, G. Enkhbat, Director of the Center of Cultural Heritage, M. Tumenjargal, Vice Minister of Culture, Sport and Tourism and Piper Campbell, U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia gave speeches emphasizing the importance of international collaboration in expanding the skills of Mongolian conservators and of preserving the rich artistic legacy of Mongolia. The Center of Cultural Heritage conservators gave a short presentation about the restoration techniques used, and the audience was invited to view the 24 paintings with explanatory panels that showed the extent of fire damage and the high quality of the restoration

Paintings damaged in fire see new life

G.Enkhbat opens the exhibit with US Ambassador Piper Campbell (LC) work. Several more paintings are yet to be restored through the continued efforts of the Cultural Heritage Center and will hopefully soon be back before audiences. For more information on the restoration project in both Mongolian and English, please visit http://www.artpainting.eheritage.mn/

G.Tserendondog. Herder Tseren. 1954

G.Orosoo. Khorgoi khurem. 1967

Classical artists offer a stunning stage performance

More Mongolians are beginning to value classical music
The history of classic music in Mongolia is deeply intertwined with the history of the Music and Dance College, which opened in 1937. Classical music in Mongolia benefited greatly from Russian professors who came to train young Mongolians and then sent them to Russia and Europe to continue their studies. After 1990 however, the venues for classical music lost much of their audience. Today, more and more people in Mongolia are starting to understand and value classical music again and places like the Opera and Ballet Theatre are being filled with listeners who are hungry for sophisticated performers like the three artists featured in the Classical Trio Concert. They began their musical training through the Russian school system in Mongolia before 1990 and remained true to their professions after the Democratic Revolution. After advancing their skills through study in Europe, D. Galbadrakh (violinist), Ts. Bekhbat (cellist), and B. Oyu (pianist) have united to perform their first professional classical trio concert on April 11 at the Opera and Ballet Theatre. They have performed in Europe many times, where classical music has always been greatly valued; but it is now time for Mongolian audiences to experience a stunning stage performance by truly classically trained artists. The concert will perform Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor by Felix Mendelssohn and the Triple Concerto in C major by Ludwig van Beethoven for the first time ever in Mongolia. Celebrated American conductor Brad Sawyer will conduct the State Philharmonic Orchestra of Ulaanbaatar as well for Giuseppe Verdis La Forza del Destino to add to the evenings enjoyment, and during his stay he will give free master classes to the student orchestra of the Music and Dance College. Everyone is welcome to attend the concert and experience a virtuosolevel performance.

Joint Exhibition The Shaman Vision

Mongolias influence on Euro-Asian civilization explored

From April 7 to 14, a special exhibition will be held at the Pearl Art Gallery featuring 20 works from artists M. Uranberkh, D. Bulgantuya, T. Nurmaajav, Ts. Bolor, D. Soyolmaa, J. Bolortuvshin, D. Badam, B. Codnomdorjaa, Z. Tumenjargal, B. Nandinerdene, and Ts. Davaanayam. This is a follow-up to previous showings in New York and Seoul around the theme Mongolian vision, and the exhibition showcases works about Shamanism and Mongolian traditional customs as explored through modern art. For more than two thousand years, the Mongols dominated the center of the Silk Road and combined ancient Shamanic and Indo-Tibetan Buddhist traditions into a significant cultural fusion. The resulting influence on Euro-Asian civilization is only now being fully appreciated and will be explored at this joint exhibition. As a special part of the exhibition opening, a documentary film team from the USA will be interviewing the artists as part of their film on shamanism.

Arts Council of Mongolia, Delta Foundation Center, IV floor, Tourists Street-38, Chingeltei District Tel/Fax: 976-11-319015 E-mail: education@artscouncil.mn Web: www.artscouncil.mn
The Mongol Messenger is operated by the government news agency MONTSAME and is printed by the MONTSAME. Home Page: www.mongolmessenger.mn;E-mail: monmessenger@magicnet.mn (ISSN 1684-1883)