Zorikto Dorzhiev (born 1976, Ulan-Ude, Buryatia, Russia) is a versatile and accomplished artist whose work captures the spirit of nomadic life through a distinctive synthesis of Russian academic painting, modern European artistic philosophy, and Buryat cultural heritage. His art often centers on the figure of the nomad—not merely as a traveler, but as a contemplative soul: a poet, philosopher, and artist.
Zorikto’s creative practice spans painting, graphic art, sculpture, costume design, and video. Known for his meticulous technique and stylized compositions, he creates introspective, self-contained figures set against the vastness of the steppe—a recurring motif symbolizing solitude, freedom, and reflection.
He studied at the Buryat Republican School of Culture and Art in Ulan-Ude, the Krasnoyarsk State Art Institute, and later honed his craft at the creative workshops of the Russian Academy of Arts. This academic foundation informs his precise use of form, color, and compositional structure, while his engagement with Buryat folklore and nomadic traditions lends his work cultural depth and poetic resonance.
Zorikto approaches traditional imagery with care, avoiding folkloric clichés or museum-like reconstruction. Instead, he distills elements of Central and East Asian aesthetics into stylized forms marked by decorative richness, ascetic elegance, and emotional subtlety.
In addition to his visual art, Zorikto served as costume designer for Sergei Bodrov’s Oscar-nominated film Mongol and illustrated The Cruel Age by Isai Kalashnikov, a renowned novel about Genghis Khan.
His solo exhibitions have been presented at major institutions including the State Tretyakov Gallery and the State Museum of Oriental Art in Moscow, the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, the European Commission in Brussels, Neumünster Abbey in Luxembourg, and Hay Hill Gallery in London, with the opening held at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Zorikto’s creative practice spans painting, graphic art, sculpture, costume design, and video. Known for his meticulous technique and stylized compositions, he creates introspective, self-contained figures set against the vastness of the steppe—a recurring motif symbolizing solitude, freedom, and reflection.
He studied at the Buryat Republican School of Culture and Art in Ulan-Ude, the Krasnoyarsk State Art Institute, and later honed his craft at the creative workshops of the Russian Academy of Arts. This academic foundation informs his precise use of form, color, and compositional structure, while his engagement with Buryat folklore and nomadic traditions lends his work cultural depth and poetic resonance.
Zorikto approaches traditional imagery with care, avoiding folkloric clichés or museum-like reconstruction. Instead, he distills elements of Central and East Asian aesthetics into stylized forms marked by decorative richness, ascetic elegance, and emotional subtlety.
In addition to his visual art, Zorikto served as costume designer for Sergei Bodrov’s Oscar-nominated film Mongol and illustrated The Cruel Age by Isai Kalashnikov, a renowned novel about Genghis Khan.
His solo exhibitions have been presented at major institutions including the State Tretyakov Gallery and the State Museum of Oriental Art in Moscow, the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, the European Commission in Brussels, Neumünster Abbey in Luxembourg, and Hay Hill Gallery in London, with the opening held at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Girl with a Cat
Flora
Chaos Theory
Inheritress
Gioconda-Khatun
Special Forces
Fiesta
Autumn
Unwritten Song 1
There On Unknown Paths
Paradise
Contemplator
Princess Dream
Postman
Centaur
Football
Horses and Birds
Patchwork Quilt
Imminent Virtue of Emptiness
Existential Therapy
The Untold Fairytale I
The Untold Fairytale II
The Untold Fairytale III
The Untold Fairytale IV