Exhibition on Mongolian Buddhism in Liverpool

There is currently an exhibition on Mongolian Buddhism in the World Museum Liverpool by Ms. Barbara Hind

Stunning images of the everyday life of Mongolian Buddhists are on show in this vivid, colourful exhibition of photographs by Barbara Hind.

This accomplished photographer, originally from Knotty Ash in Liverpool, visited Mongolia 16 times between 1994 and 2001. The resulting collection of pictures is breathtaking.

Rich in colour and texture, the images capture intimate moments in the daily routine – from the call to morning worship to individuals in private conversation. They also touch on formal events such as the ordination of monks and the building of a new temple.

Barbara’s talent is to provide a unique insight into a deeply fascinating way of life, in a natural, respectful and unobtrusive way. The photos perfectly reflect the effortless integration of the spiritual and mundane in the lives of the Mongolian Buddhists.

The exhibition was itself shown at the National Museum of Mongolian History in Ulaanbaatar, 2001, where Barbara became the first westerner to be invited to display her work. This gave local people, whose lives she had documented, the chance to see the pictures for themselves.

Barbara says of her work:

“The Mongolian Buddhist images have grown out of my personal association with the monasteries and nunneries I have visited. Through my photographs I try not only to represent my own experience of seeing other people’s worlds but to also try and evoke the people’s experience in those worlds.”

You can see a selection of the images on this website, but be sure to visit the museum to see the glorious display in full colour.