ABOUT

What is it?

New Wind: Art of Mongolia, Rewritten for the World is a research-driven initiative launched on 1 May 2025 to build the first English-language database dedicated to professional Mongolian artists. During the first cycle (2025-2028), the project will profile outstanding artists and educate early-career curators and art historians.

New Wind aims to establish a global platform for modern and contemporary Mongolian art, producing high-quality texts that create a lasting digital footprint for artists. Because the content is in English, it can be automatically translated into more than 200 languages, significantly expanding visibility for artists who do not work in English.

Why is it needed?

The global art world tends to favour those with access to language skills, networks, and funding. Many Mongolian artists are excluded not for lack of quality, but because the local ecosystem lags behind international standards. Few have professionally written English texts; most rely on social media and chance encounters.

Since the 1990s, Mongolia has prioritised sectors such as finance, marketing, and mining. Training pathways for art historians, curators, and cultural professionals have weakened, and art is often treated as decoration or entertainment. Talented graduates struggle to find work, while unqualified “players” exploit gaps in the system. Around 90% of exhibitions in Mongolia are still opened without a curator, a curatorial essay, or a catalogue. Therefore, little archival material remains for future research, aside from social media posts and photos from the opening ceremonies.

There are currently very few ongoing research projects focused on post-1990 Mongolian art, and the work is left to independent researchers and curators with no funding. At the same time, contemporary artists are increasingly active yet underrepresented in international discourse. New Wind responds to this vacuum through high-quality research, free online education and mentorship for emerging curators, writers, and researchers.

Who leads the project?

New Wind is founded and led by Dr Tsendpurev Tsegmid, an artist, curator and researcher born in socialist Mongolia and shaped by the country’s transition to democracy. Trained initially in painting and later in contemporary art photography, and holding a PhD in practice-based art, she has lived and worked in Mongolia, the UK, and now Germany. Over the past two decades, she has developed expertise in curating, project management, mentoring, and consulting. With roots in both Mongolia and Europe, she initiated New Wind to create fair, accessible pathways for Mongolian artists to be seen, supported, and taken seriously internationally.

Key deliverables

• A freely accessible online database of professional Mongolian artists.
• High-quality, gallery-level artist profiles, curatorial and critical texts in English.
• Long-term maintenance and secure back-up of all research materials.
• Free training programmes (online courses and textbooks) in curating, writing, and project management for the next generation.