Zayasaikhan Sambuu, 1975 | Magic Realism painter

Mongolian painter Zayasaikhan Sambuu, also known as Zaya was born in an isolated village in the Gobi Desert.

At fifteen he decided to become a Buddhist monk but the strict rules of the monastery were at odds with his irrepressible creativity.

By the time he was a teenager, communist Mongolia was becoming less oppressive, and freedom of religion returning.

Zaya was noticed for his talent in drawing, and started by drawing scenes of Buddhism, which was resurfacing after years of suppression.

At 17 he enrolled in the Soyol Fine Art College in Ulaanbaatar (the capital of Mongolia).

There, traditional Mongolian art was taught. He continued his studies at the Mongolian State University of Arts and Culture, from which he obtained his bachelor's degree in 2002.

In 2015 he exposed a series of ink-and-watercolor paintings in San Francisco, inspired by Genghis Khan, his life and warriors.

Of the latter paintings was said: "Combining traditional Mongolian styles with Japanese art techniques, the striking, highly detailed images bring these warriors and their era to life".

His works inspired a mural painting by Perm-based artist Maria Efimova. | Source: © Wikipedia

- "I paint the styles and themes of Mongolian traditional painting with contemporary Asian art in "a bridge between old and new art".

Scenes of ancient daily life, echoes of my nomadic, Central Asian roots, themes of Tibetan spirituality and traditional Japanese techniques all go into the unique mix and brings to my canvases.

Using a technique that fuses watercolors, gouache, brush, and mixed media, I works with a warm yet somewhat dark palette.

Many of My paintings depict noble or royal Mongolian women, all with costumes and hair styles drawn from traditional fashion designs of Mongolian nomadic aristocracy.

These figures are often accompanied by wild animals such as snow leopards or wolves".

Le opere di Zayasaikhan Sambuu si basano sulla vita quotidiana di antichi nomadi, gruppi etnici dell'Asia centrale e riflettono gli stereotipi nazionali, la storia e la cultura, le immagini delle regine e la bellezza delle donne mongole.

S. Zayasaikhan ha lavorato con la galleria Sausalitod per sei anni dopo la laurea.

Da allora, le sue opere sono state esposte in più di 20 paesi tra cui Europa, Inghilterra, America, Australia, Giappone, Cina ed Arabia.

Ora è un artista freelance.

Nel 2013, ha pubblicato la sua serie di opere intitolata "Heroes of the Steppe" al pubblico americano a San Francisco.

Tra le sue opere raffiguranti eroi mongoli, ha combinato il metodo pittorico mongolo con tecniche giapponesi.

Il dipinto intitolato "Mongolian Invasion" raffigura il battaglia dei guerrieri di Kublai Khan che sbarcano sulla costa del Giappone per conquistarla, ha suscitato molto interesse da parte del pubblico.