These marvelous Buryat dolls recall life on the steppe (PHOTOS)

Born in a remote Buryat village in the Zabaykalsky Territory of Russia, sculptor Dashi Namdakov has come a long way – starting as a hereditary craftsman and eventually becoming an artist exhibited in museums around the world. 

We’ve already familiarized our readers with Dashi’s story and art, here. His unique style is difficult to confuse with anything else, be it giant land art objects, sculptures or graphics. The mystic creatures of the artist’s universe have fine lines, oriental clothes and Buryat features. 

In his works Dashi pays tribute to the connection between humans and nature, as well as the Buryat tales and legends of his ancestors. In 2016, the artist turned to the ancient tradition of handicraft dolls for the first time. In the Buryat culture dolls are connected with both Buddhist and shaman rituals. They can take the form of sacred animals, gods, or idols of the mother cult worship. Ancient folk masters used to create many dolls as amulets.

Translated from the Buryat language, ‘ulger’ means ‘story’, and that’s the name of the series of dolls made according to Dashi’s sketches.

Let’s take a look at some of them.

Exhibition ‘Ulger: tales and dreams’ is on display at The State Museum of Oriental Art  until January 23, 2022