Zorikto Dorzhiev (b. 1976, Buryatia, Russia)
Born in 1976 in Ulan-Ude, Buryatia, Zorikto's paintings vividly bring to life Oriental tales and national legends. The artist deftly combines the techniques of the Russian academic painting school, the philosophy of modern European art, and Buryat folk traditions to convey the essence of nomadic life. A central theme in his work is the portrayal of the nomad as a contemplative individual—poet, artist, and philosopher.
Dorzhiev is a versatile artist who continually experiments with new media and genres. In addition to his paintings and graphic drawings, he creates sculptures and sketches of national costumes and produces video projects. Zorikto served as a costume designer for Sergei Bodrov's film Mongol, which was nominated for an Oscar, and illustrated one of the finest novels about Genghis Khan—the epic The Cruel Age by Isai Kalashnikov. Dorzhiev's solo exhibitions have been held at the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, the State Museum of Oriental Art in Moscow, the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France, and the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, as well as in various museums and private galleries around the world.
Dorzhiev, a painter, graphic novel illustrator, sculptor, and film artist, embraced the principles of the Russian academic school and the "cosmopolitanism" of modern European art while honouring Buryat national traditions.
1996 he graduated from the Buryat Republican School of Culture and Art in Ulan-Ude. In 2002, he completed his studies at the Krasnoyarsk State Art Institute. From 2003 to 2005, he trained in the creative workshops of the Russian Academy of Arts. His analysis of the academic painting system enabled Dorzhiev to acquire and subsequently utilise skills in form construction, the principles of colour composition, and the organisational structure of the image.
Dorzhiev’s creative method is rooted in synthesising several components, the primary one being the figurative tradition of the academic school alongside the cultural heritage of the nomadic peoples of Buryatia. He engages with traditional folk images with great care and sensitivity. Avoiding the populist replication of familiar elements, he steers clear of ethnographic or museum-like reconstruction. The artist crafts images imbued with distinctive traits of Central and East Asian culture, characterised by introspective and self-contained figures, plastic asceticism, lapidary forms, and rich decorative surfaces. His works often feature backgrounds of the expansive steppe. The theme of the Great Steppe serves as the leitmotif of Dorzhiev's oeuvre. He describes the main character—a nomad—as follows: "A nomad for me is a contemplator... He is an artist, a poet, a philosopher. As a rule, he is solitary."
Zorikto's solo exhibitions have successfully taken place at the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, the Museum of Oriental Art in Moscow, Neumünster Abbey in Luxembourg, the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France, the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, and Hay Hill Gallery, with the opening ceremony held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, UK.
Dorzhiev is a versatile artist who continually experiments with new media and genres. In addition to his paintings and graphic drawings, he creates sculptures and sketches of national costumes and produces video projects. Zorikto served as a costume designer for Sergei Bodrov's film Mongol, which was nominated for an Oscar, and illustrated one of the finest novels about Genghis Khan—the epic The Cruel Age by Isai Kalashnikov. Dorzhiev's solo exhibitions have been held at the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, the State Museum of Oriental Art in Moscow, the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France, and the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, as well as in various museums and private galleries around the world.
Dorzhiev, a painter, graphic novel illustrator, sculptor, and film artist, embraced the principles of the Russian academic school and the "cosmopolitanism" of modern European art while honouring Buryat national traditions.
1996 he graduated from the Buryat Republican School of Culture and Art in Ulan-Ude. In 2002, he completed his studies at the Krasnoyarsk State Art Institute. From 2003 to 2005, he trained in the creative workshops of the Russian Academy of Arts. His analysis of the academic painting system enabled Dorzhiev to acquire and subsequently utilise skills in form construction, the principles of colour composition, and the organisational structure of the image.
Dorzhiev’s creative method is rooted in synthesising several components, the primary one being the figurative tradition of the academic school alongside the cultural heritage of the nomadic peoples of Buryatia. He engages with traditional folk images with great care and sensitivity. Avoiding the populist replication of familiar elements, he steers clear of ethnographic or museum-like reconstruction. The artist crafts images imbued with distinctive traits of Central and East Asian culture, characterised by introspective and self-contained figures, plastic asceticism, lapidary forms, and rich decorative surfaces. His works often feature backgrounds of the expansive steppe. The theme of the Great Steppe serves as the leitmotif of Dorzhiev's oeuvre. He describes the main character—a nomad—as follows: "A nomad for me is a contemplator... He is an artist, a poet, a philosopher. As a rule, he is solitary."
Zorikto's solo exhibitions have successfully taken place at the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, the Museum of Oriental Art in Moscow, Neumünster Abbey in Luxembourg, the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France, the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, and Hay Hill Gallery, with the opening ceremony held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, UK.