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.
Born in 1976 in Ulan-Ude, the capital of the Russian republic of Buryatia, Zorikto’s paintings depict Oriental tales and national legends by blending the techniques of the Russian academic painting school, the philosophy of modern European art, and Buryat folk traditions to express the essence of nomadic life.
In 1996, he graduated from the Buryat Republican School of Culture and Art in Ulan-Ude. In 2002, he finished 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 later apply skills in form construction, colour composition, and organisational structure of the image.
