By Mend-Amar Baigalmaa
The photo and poster exhibition “Mongolian Tie to Democracy” by Finnish journalist and photographer Irja Halász opened on May 31, 2025, at the Sofia Cultural Centre Gallery in Helsinki, Finland.
Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an
The exhibition features more than 150 works, including rare photographs taken by Irja Halász during the 1990 Democratic Revolution in Mongolia, along with powerful historical posters capturing the political spirit of the time. These posters include materials from the Mongolian Democratic Union (MDU), the Zorig Foundation, cartoons by artist S. Tsogtbayar, and images from private archives and Poland’s Solidarity Movement (Solidarność) collection.
Through powerful photographs and rare political posters, the exhibition captures the spirit of Mongolia’s democratic awakening. It presents images of the 1985 Naadam and October Revolution parades at Sukhbaatar Square, culminating in the energized protests and hunger strikes against the MPR Political Bureau, which led to the historic democratic revolution that also centered at Sukhbaatar Square – and the establishment of a multi-party system in 1990.
Many images also show today’s political leaders in their youth, standing among the crowds that helped shape Mongolia’s future.
The posters, selected from Irja Halász’s archive and other collections, feature sharp political satire and anti-communist visuals, revealing the voice of a nation demanding democratic change.
The opening ceremony was led by H.E. Mr. Tserendorj Munkh-Ulzii, Ambassador of Mongolia to Finland, and hosted by Mr. Timo Kietäväinen, Vice Chairman of the Sofia Foundation. Congratulatory remarks were delivered by Mr. Kimmo Kiljunen, Member of Parliament and representative of the Finland-Mongolia Friendship Group, and Ms. Marja-Liisa Kiljunen, former Finnish Ambassador to Mongolia.
The exhibition was organized by the Lions Club Vantaankoski–Vandaforsen, with support from Mongolia’s Golomt Foundation, and Finnish partners including Sofia Cultural Centre, Nyblin, and eCredo. It will remain open to the public until August 31, 2025.
Irja Halász
Irja Halász is a Finnish journalist, photographer, and producer who has lived and worked in Mongolia since 1987. She originally studied Mongolian language and philology at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Budapest, Hungary, before coming to Mongolia through a Finnish government scholarship to continue her studies at the National University of Mongolia.
Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an
Upon arriving in Mongolia, she became one of the first foreign journalists to witness and document the historic 1989–1990 Democratic Revolution. From 1990 to 2006, she worked as a reporter for Reuters, covering Mongolia’s transition through international media outlets.
Irja has produced in multiple visual, cultural, and publishing projects. In 2020, she published the photo book “Awakened Mongolia – Revolution” and organized a corresponding photo exhibition. In 2022, she co-authored the book “Posters of Mongolia in Transition” with researcher Mend-Amar Baigalmaa, followed by an exhibition under the same name at the Mongolian Theatre Museum in 2023.
The “Mongolian tie demokratiaan” exhibition in Helsinki marks her first time publicly presenting this historical body of work in her native Finland, offering a rare window into Mongolia’s democratic transformation through her lens.
About Mend-Amar
Mend-Amar is a cultural anthropologist and visual researcher currently completing his MA at the National University of Mongolia. With a background in Graphic Design and Multimedia, his work engages with urban photography, political posters, and the evolving visual culture of post-socialist Mongolia. His research focuses on memory, identity, and democratic transitions, using visual methods to document and interpret social change.
He has participated in international programs such as the CrossCulture Programme (ifa, Germany), JENESYS (Japan) and the Urban Walks regional project by Goethe-Institut (2023), where he represented Ulaanbaatar alongside participants from Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, Taipei, and Hong Kong. He co-produced and curated The 10 Photographs Through My Lens, a visual storytelling video series that explores intergenerational perspectives on Mongolia’s cultural transformations through the personal work and reflections of local photographers.
Besides managing Mongolian Visuals NGO, he also hosts the podcast Live from Red Hero and co-organized Unseen Ulaanbaatar, a photo exhibition developed through the ACM (Arts Council of Mongolia) Fellowship Program.
He continues to explore how anthropological research can be translated into accessible multimedia formats, with the aim of creating people-centered narratives that resonate across disciplines, urban cultures, and visual storytelling.
Not withstanding linguistic relations, Irja Halász is Hungarian, not Finnish.
Hello!
You are absolutely right. Halász is a Hungarian surname. However, Irja is indeed a Finnish woman. Her original name was Irja Oimonen. During her university years in Budapest, she married a Hungarian man, which is why she took his surname and used it throughout her life.
There has often been some confusion like, especially from a Hungarian perspective, about her origins, whether she was fully Finnish, Hungarian, or mixed. But to clarify. She was Finnish by birth, blood, and nationality.
Sain uu…..I appreciate your clarification. IVAN.