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| Dashi Namdakov | |
|---|---|
| Name | Dashi Namdakov |
| Native name | Даши́ Намдако́в |
| Birth date | 1967 |
| Birth place | Sosnovo-Ozerskoye, Buryatia |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Field | Sculpture, bronze casting |
| Training | Irkutsk Art School, Moscow |
| Notable works | Khangar, Horse of the Morning |
Dashi Namdakov is a Russian sculptor and artist known for monumental bronze sculptures that blend Buryat shamanic imagery, Mongolian nomadic motifs, and contemporary public art practice. Born in Sosnovo-Ozerskoye in Buryatia, he trained in regional art schools and developed a career spanning studio sculpture, public commissions, and international exhibitions in cities such as London, Moscow, and New York City. Namdakov's work engages dialogues with Buddhism, Tengriism, and Eurasian visual traditions while entering the global arena of contemporary sculpture and public monuments.
Namdakov was born in 1967 in Sosnovo-Ozerskoye, in the Buryat Republic of the Soviet Union, into a family with roots in Buryat and Mongol culture, which connected him to regional practices such as shamanism and throat singing. He studied at the Irkutsk Art School and pursued further artistic training in Yakutsk and Moscow, where he encountered the legacies of Russian avant-garde, Socialist Realism, and the ateliers influenced by figures like Sergei Konenkov and Naum Gabo. During his formative years he also engaged with ethnographic collections at the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) and regional museums in Ulan-Ude and Irkutsk that preserved Buryat and Mongolian material culture.
Namdakov established a studio practice focused on figurative bronze casting, working with foundries and bronze artisans in Moscow and Saint Petersburg to realize large-scale works. His career includes collaborations with municipal authorities for public art commissions in cities such as Moscow and Vladivostok, as well as participation in international art fairs and exhibitions in venues including the Grosvenor House and galleries in Chelsea, Manhattan. He has been represented in shows alongside contemporaries from the Russian contemporary art scene and has contributed to dialogues about cultural heritage in post-Soviet public spaces, engaging institutions such as the Tretyakov Gallery and regional cultural ministries.
Namdakov's major works often depict hybrid anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures—horses, rams, and mythic heroes—that draw on Buryat and Mongolian epic traditions such as the Epic of King Gesar and steppe iconography. Notable pieces include monumental equine sculptures and the series "Horse of the Morning," which reference nomadic mobility and cosmology associated with Tengriism and Vajrayana visualities. His themes intersect with representations of historical personages, shamanic ritual paraphernalia, and animal symbolism found in Scythian and Xiongnu metalwork; critics compare his synthesis of tradition and contemporaneity with the work of sculptors like Antoine Bourdelle and Fernando Botero in terms of monumentality and figuration. Namdakov frequently employs patinated bronze and textured surfaces, combining casting techniques reminiscent of lost-wax casting traditions and casting practices used in Florence and Lviv foundries.
Namdakov's solo and group exhibitions have appeared in major cultural centers, including London (showcases in Mayfair), Moscow (exhibitions in private galleries and museum spaces), and international art fairs in Basel and New York City. His public sculptures stand in urban contexts and are included in collections held by municipal administrations and private collectors across Russia, China, and Europe. Institutions and venues that have hosted his work or displays include the Russian Museum, regional museums in Ulan-Ude and Irkutsk, commercial galleries in Paris, and cultural festivals that engage Eurasian art and heritage dialogues.
Over his career Namdakov has received recognition from cultural organizations and municipal authorities, earning commissions and prizes that acknowledge his contributions to public sculpture and national visual culture. His work has been featured in art journals and covered by international media outlets, situating him among prominent figures of 21st-century sculpture in Russia and the broader Eurasian region. He has been invited to speak and exhibit in symposiums and art forums that include representatives from institutions such as the Union of Artists of Russia and regional cultural ministries.
Namdakov's personal background as a Buryat artist informs his advocacy for the visibility of Siberian and Mongolian cultural motifs within global contemporary art circuits. He maintains a studio practice that trains assistants and collaborates with artisans from Buryatia and Moscow, fostering networks that connect regional craft traditions with international markets and collectors in cities like London, Zurich, and Beijing. His sculptures contribute to discussions about identity, cultural revival, and the place of indigenous Eurasian motifs in public memory, resonating with scholars and curators working at institutions such as the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Smithsonian Institution.
Category:Russian sculptors Category:People from Buryatia