Horses and tulips are the main characters in the work of Syugir Buluktaev, they are associated with Kalmykia, the motherland of the artist. The horse occupies a central place in the traditional culture of the Kalmyks, a result of their nomadic way of life on the vast steppes. The epos of the Mongolian- and Turkic-speaking peoples has a special genre, “magtal to the horse” (“praise to the horse”) – an ode to its beauty and virtues. Horses, meanwhile, have incredible power and miraculous properties, such as the ability to fly and speak. A prime example here is the 15th century Kalmyk heroic epos “Dzhangar”, described as “the epic of the glorious horsemen.

Syugir Buluktaev’s work is like a new “magtal to the horse”, but this timeless story now continues in visual form. His horses, as in the ancient epic, are far removed from reality – they are fairy tales, and for the artist horses embody pure energy, carrying light. Their manes and tails are like lush clouds, their iridescent eyes shine like kaleidoscopes – as if they were made to see other worlds through which they ride. In painting, textures of clouds and flowers, abstract patterns remind of arts and crafts, national fabrics, and the vivid colours of paintings are the riot of colours of the blooming steppe.