Editorial: Mongolia’s art
In 1924, a way of life ended in Central Asia. For 65 years, until 1989, the Buddhist traditions of Mongolia, dating from the 13th Century, were stifled by the Soviet Union with purges and persecutions. Many temples and monasteries were destroyed and 100,000 lamas were killed or sent to labor camps.
But that vast windswept steppe between China and Russia did not forget its past, and the last 20 years have seen a vigorous resurgence of Buddhism in Mongolian art and culture, as well as suppressed shamanistic religious traditions.
A remarkable exhibition at Providence College’s Smith Center for the Arts shows many examples of manuscripts, textiles and paintings, some ancient and unearthed after having been hidden in the country’s often frozen soil, as well as others of more recent provenance, collected by Art History Prof. Ann W. Norton last summer. The show, which also includes a video she made of a shaman exorcism, continues until Jan. 7.
But that vast windswept steppe between China and Russia did not forget its past, and the last 20 years have seen a vigorous resurgence of Buddhism in Mongolian art and culture, as well as suppressed shamanistic religious traditions.
A remarkable exhibition at Providence College’s Smith Center for the Arts shows many examples of manuscripts, textiles and paintings, some ancient and unearthed after having been hidden in the country’s often frozen soil, as well as others of more recent provenance, collected by Art History Prof. Ann W. Norton last summer. The show, which also includes a video she made of a shaman exorcism, continues until Jan. 7.
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