There is a special connection between the two Buryat villages of Ust-Orot in Kizhinginsky district, the Republic of Buryatia, and of Ukurik in Khiloksky district, the Trans-Baikal Territory where the Namdakov family lived. The first village is called “The valley of barrows” and the second is “The reserve of skilled craftsmen”. Archeologists from the Buryat Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies found ancient works of sculpture in one of barrows near the village of Ust-Orot and there are some skilled craftsmen using similar ancient techniques in the second village. For this reason, researchers believe that the Buryat jewelry and blacksmith’s art could be identified by the time of the Chinese Chanyu Modu, i.e. the early Iron Age.
 
The Namdakov family art is deeply national, it has pronounced Buryat background which manifests itself both in thematic, genre and compositional forms and in technical and technological features of the works of art using traditions of folk art. Moreover, it is filled with features of life in the concrete area and the family where artists were educated. At the same time, the greatness of their family talent is that it is larger and much wider than national borders, it is attractive to representatives of other nations, complementary and worthy of high level of the world decorative art, being its special page.
 
"However, Dashi Namdakov’s family works including art principles of creating dolls do not fit into usual forms of traditional folk art. As compared to the mastery of many artists with national roots realizing the unity of the national and the universal, the Namdakov family talent distinctly refers to an absolutely new generation of artists working in “ethno-fantasy” genre.

"“Ethno-fantasy” stylization is based on a “magic realism” artistic method in which surrealistic elements are included into the realistic worldview. An old method of associative thinking (“a land flowing with milk and honey”) underlying the creative work of many artists opens up new possibilities and opportunities in modern art. The ideas and means of artistic expression of “The East and the West” take an active part in “ethno-fantasy” creation connecting modern techniques with fantasy stories. "
 
Synthesis of subjects, materials and techniques incompatible previously, which was enriched with real and fairy images, opened up opportunities for a family trend. What is surprising in this synthesis? These are elegance and ability to use various techniques and means of expression effectively. The elegance of artistic perception of the world is expressed in organization of compositional integrity of the work, in harmonization of associative relations with an ancient art of oriental peoples and the structures of semantic context of the modern art.
 
Unusual images embodied in the Namdakov family dolls could be explained by an ethno cultural context. For example, “Swan-lady” appeared thanks to Khori-buryat tribe legend about their totem progenitress. “Khan lady” doll sitting on a carved throne in a dress decorated by beads resembles females escorting great nomadic emperors whose names are in the Buryat family registers, chronicles, and legends.

The main characteristic features of this unusual style are sense of fairy entourage, creation of “given” antiquity images with rich decoration, “airiness” of space organized by techniques of rounded, smooth contours of art- objects focused on separate parts. All decoration elements are traditionally handmade and perfect.
 
Therefore, the origin of the family creativity is connected with the handicraft past of ethnic culture, professional art, and genetic origin. To understand this, one should read family stories, artists’ author narratives about their parents. This would provide an opportunity to clarify the character of social and hereditary factors interaction in the development of a talent for handicraft creativity and its role in experience handed down from generation to generation.

The head of the family, Balzhin Namdakov, who is 90, has worked excitedly all his life in his children’s presence, he created a sense of joy from the beauty made by his work: fanciful furniture, a woven carpet, furriery harness, wooden utensils, and children's toys. He read a lot of special literature. In his village, he was a mechanic, a rationalizer, an electrician, and a distinctive engineer. The villagers always wanted something new and unusual. So, they got the first mini electric motor, the first mechanized power saw bench based on a tractor engine, and also unty (high fur boots) sewing which is the most famous handicraft of Ukurik village (today three generations of fellow villagers are busy with this trade). When Balzhin Namdakov made something new, he lost interest in it and did something different.

His children recollect: ‘We used to have different magazines at home, such as Znaniye – sila (“Knowledge is power”), Master, Sdelai sam (“Make it yourself”), Za Rulem (“Behind the Wheels”), Vokrug sveta (“Around the World”), Izobretatel i ratsionalizator (“Inventor and Rationalizer”), different charts, drafts, rationalization proposals.’ Support from his wife, the mother of a big family, made it possible to create something surprising, his own and intricate. The father often executed orders for the Ivolginsky datsan, the main Buddhist Temple in Buryatia. Together with his elder son Budazhap, he made bas-relief sculptures of the Buddhist pantheon characters. It was a delicate and responsible work, which was deeply appreciated not only by the congregation but also by the professional sculptors.

The mother provided discipline, structure, and emotional stability of the family. Her children said: ‘She was born in a family of craftsmen and religious figures, as well as our father. She is not only a good hand at sewing (we, both girls and boys, have learnt sewing during our lifetime), she is the backbone of our family. Being exacting and strict with herself, she is very kind to us, her intuition and practical wisdom help us to fulfil ourselves. We have different occupations: a teacher, a professional sculptor, a jeweler, a make-up artist, an artist-decorator, two of us are doctors. We are continuing our mother’s line – to provide our children with a good education. There are architects, designers, doctors, engineers, economists among our children. We are very different, but we share a common family business.’

Researchers say that a live darkhan cult is a kind of inexhaustible creativity energy for the residents of ethnic Buryatia with its handicraft traditions, unique natural-climatic landscapes and living bearers of ancient knowledge. Therefore, it is quite clear why the Namdakovs’ family art school is becoming a symbol of modern cultural industries in the arts. The novelty of shaping visualization, asymmetry of proportions overcome visual and figurative traditions and transform national identity of decorative and applied arts of Russia.

The beginning of the 21st century has been marked by global demand of creative industries based on the individual personal beginning, unique experience and talent of the personality, in our case, of the Namdakov family. In many countries, cultural industries are systematically transformed into the main factor of social and economic transformations based on updating of industrial culture of production, creation and raising of creative geniuses, stimulation of consumption of products of their activity by means of scaling of the fruits of their work. That is why, creativity of the Namdakov family corresponds to the new challenges of the world art development connected with a significant increase in infrastructure of “intellectual and creative enterprise”, production and export of the art works creating the new potential of art.

Creative work of the Namdakov family manifests itself in creation of the new ideas for original works of art and culture, application of modern functional developments, technical and technological innovations. In this regard, the family has developed the new direction in family artistic creativity based on the creative industry of craft. The workshop is working successfully as it exists according to the laws of creative economy.

(text from The creativity phenomenon of the Namdakov family)