The WildArt Mongolia Expedition, Introducing The Mongol Artists: Oidoviin Magvandorj

May 20, 2013October 5, 2013 | foxstudio

OIDOVIIN MAGVANDORJ

Magvandorj was born in 1952 in Tsagaan Khairkhan, Uvs Aimag.

He attended/graduated from the State Pedalogical University in 1980

From 1972 to 1976 he was an member of the Union of Mongolian Artists branch in Uvs Aimag

From 1980 to 1990 he was an artist at the Musical Drama Theater, Uvs Aimag

Since 1990 he has been a freelance artist and a member of the Union of Mongolian Artists in Ulaanbaatar since 2000.

Great Empire of Mongolia

He has exhibited his work since 1977, both in Mongolia and internationally, participating in exhibitions in Paris and Mexico. His work has been in Union of Mongolian Artists exhibitions since 2005.

His awards include:
1987- “Mongolian National Costumes”- First Prize
1987- “Concert of Many Nationalities”- Best Artist
1988- Festival of Raduga- Leading Prize
2008- Leading Cultural Worker, Ministry of Education and Science

Nomadic

Altan Argamj

The WildArt Mongolia Expedition-Introducing the Mongol Artists: Tugsoyun Sodnom

May 10, 2013October 5, 2013 | foxstudio

It gives me great, great pleasure to introduce the two Mongol artists who will be going on the WildArt Mongolia Expedition! I met them when I was in Ulaanbaatar last year and am very excited that they have signed on. Them are well-known in Mongolia and deserve to be known in the United States too.

Today, I would like you to meet Tugsoyun Sodnom. Next will be Oidoviin Magvandorj.

Tugsoyun was born in 1955.

She graduated from the Fine Art College, Ulaanbaatar in 1974 and from the Surikov Institute of Fine Art, Moscow, Russia, in 1980.

She has been exhibiting her work since 1974, both in Mongolia and internationally, participating in exhibitions in Bulgaria, Japan, Russia, Japan, India, Germany, Australia, Korea, the United States and London. Since 1974 she has participated in all of the Union of Mongolian Artists’ exhibitions.

Since 1974 she has designed and/or illustrated over 100 books.

Gobi Camels

Her awards include:
1985- Annual Prize of the Union of Mongolian Artists
1988- Honorary Diploma, International Exhibition, Bulgaria
1989- Mongolian Youth Federation’s Award
1993- “Honored Labor” medal, government of Mongolia
2003- “Pole Star” of Mongolia, which is the highest honor that the Mongolian government bestows on artists

Night of Otgontenger Mountain

Her paintings and graphic works are in the collections of:
Fine Art Museum of Mongolia
Mongolian Modern Art Gallery
Fukuoka Art Museum, Japan
Trade and Development Bank, Ulaanbaatar
Agricultural Bank, Ulaanbaatar
Mongolian Chamber of Trade and Industry
Undruul Hotel
Tsetseg Hotel
Soros Foundation, Ulaanbaatar
The Asia Foundation, San Francisco, USA
Private collections in Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Korea, China, Russia, USA

Ger District; she is particularly known for her series of ger paintings

Horse and Rider; one of her book illustrations

Mongolia Monday- I Meet Mongol Artists (At Last!)

October 15, 2012 | foxstudio

I’ve known since my first trips to Mongolia that art is an extremely important part of the culture, but had not found a way to meet or connect with any of the artists themselves. Until now.

Thanks to Janna, the Director of ArtiCour Gallery, who hosted my Ulaabaatar art event on September 22, I got my wish and then some. The gallery represents some of Mongolia’s most prominent and honored painters. Some of them were kind enough to come to the event and two invited me to visit their studios, which I did the next day. I had a wonderful time, thanks to Janna and Khaliunaa, who was one of my interpreters for the art event (along with Buyandelger) and who was nice enough to come along so that I could talk to the artists.

Although they did not have access to the West during what the Mongols call “socialist times”, many Mongolian artists traveled to Moscow, St. Petersburg and other Eastern Bloc countries to study in a variety of art academies and schools, so they were trained in classical, academic methods. They were limited in what was acceptable to paint, Impressionism apparently being totally off-limits, but still found ways to express themselves with great originality. With the coming of democracy in 1991, the artists of Mongolia became free to go wherever their artistic vision leads them.

The following is a “album” of my visit to the studios of six artists, all members of the Union of Mongolian Artists, which was founded in 1944 and has its own large, airy gallery space in the heart of Ulaanbaatar. I’ve been going there every trip since 2006 to see their exhibitions.

The studio photos and some of the art images were taken with my iPhone. Some of the other painting images I scanned from materials like brochures and booklets that the artists gave to me as gifts. I hope you enjoy this “studio tour” and you can be sure that there will be more to come in the future.

The artists are presented in the order in which I met them.

E.Sukhee — E. Sukhee, who I was told is one of the most eminent artists in Mongolia

E.-Sukhee-UUlen-Choloonii-Nar — Uulen Choloonii Nar by E. Sukhee

G.Dunburee — G. Dunburee; he was definitely the extrovert of the group

UB 1920s — Dunburee’s famous painting “Ikh Khuree”, a scene of Ulaanbaatar in the 1920s, one of a series

Dunburee location paintings — Some of Dunburee’s location paintings

Sosorbaram, Dunburee, me — Fellow artist, Sosobaram, who stopped in for a short time, Dunburee and I

Sosorbaram-4-R-Kurs.Nuurs — Sosobaram gave me a lovely booklet of his life and work. I scanned this and the following two images from it. Here is one of his drawings, I think from when he was a student.

Sosorbaram-Tsagaan-Sarnai — Tsagaan Sarnai by B. Sosorbaram

Sosorbaram-Avto-Portret-2006 — Avto Portret 2006 (Self Portrait 2006) by B. Sosorbaram

Bayarbaatar-Talin-Unselt — Talin Unselt by Bayarbaatar

Natsagdorj- one of the very few watercolor artists of his generation

Natsagdorj-Ikh-Taigin-Namar — Ikh Taigin Namar by Natsagdorj; he is from the northern part of Mongolia and at one time specialized in images of the Tsaatsan or “Reindeer People”.

Tugs-Oyun-Ger-District-2009 — Ger District 2009 by Tugs-Oyun

Munkh landscape — Landscape in progress- Munkh

Munkh landscape detail — Landscape in progress- detail

Finally, Tugs-Oyun, me and Janna Kamimila, the Director of ArtiCour Gallery, who arranged this memorable afternoon with the artists, who couldn’t have been more welcoming

Mongolia Monday- Back Home And With Great Art News!

October 1, 2012December 20, 2013 | foxstudio

I arrived home from my seven week trip to Mongolia last Tuesday. I’ve been alternating catching up and doing….nothing or at least nothing more strenuous than watching a baseball game. The first order of business was to download and start categorizing the over 8000 images I shot on the trip. I always feel better when everything is safely on the hard drive, backed up to the remote Vault and visible in Aperture.

My final days in Ulaanbaatar were a bit of a whirlwind. The art event at ArtiCour Gallery was great! There was a steady stream of people all day, some of whom I knew. There was a lot of interest in the WildArt Mongolia Expedition and at least three artists expressed an interest in going next year. Many art students came by. The director of a Mongolian magazine which publishes articles on artists stopped in and said that they want to do an article on my and my work! Even more special to me personally, a number of very prominent Mongol artists attended, all of them members of the venerable Union of Mongolian Artists, which was founded in 1944. Two of them invited me to visit their studios. But that will be a tale for another post.

Here’s a selection of photos taken at “American Artist Susan Fox-The WildArt Mongolia Expedition”, which was the first in ArtiCour’s new Visiting International Artists series.