Dashi Namdakov presented the installation "Guardian of Baikal" at the Moscow Biennale. Viewing the post "the story of the keeper of Baikal or Namdakov's goat is nearing its finale"

The monument "Keeper of Baikal", created by the world-famous sculptor Dashi Namdakov, is being erected near the village of Uzura on Olkhon Island.

Now the installation work is going on. According to the head of the Khuzhir municipality Vera Malanova, the eight-meter monument will be located on a hill near Baikal, far from the roads:

– You can’t drive up to the sculpture by car, but you have to walk. It is located outside the settlement and is not a capital building. Among the residents there are different points of view about the new sculpture, but only professionals can judge its artistic value. We think that the monument initially has a positive message, like all the works of Dashi Namdakov. By the way, when the sculptures "Eagle", "Tramp" and the stele of the Olkhon region were installed, no one asked about their aesthetic qualities.

Experts highly appreciated the "Guardian of Baikal" at the Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, which was held this summer. The Tretyakov Gallery presented a copy of the sculpture in the form of an installation, reduced to three meters. It was created using digital technologies from biodegradable material. Moreover, with the help of 3D glasses, viewers were able to immerse themselves in augmented reality and see how the monument looks already in the landscapes of Olkhon Island.

Yuko Hasegawa, curator of the Biennale's main project, chief curator of the Tokyo Museum of Modern Art and professor of curatorial and artistic theory at Tama University, believes that Dashi Namdakov's sculpture "Keeper of Baikal" is a new interpretation of traditional mythologies associated with the forces of nature, nomads, shamans and eternity.

“Dashi Namdakov thinks a lot about his culture and tries to bring it into art,” Yuko Hasegawa emphasized. – The sculpture seems to be designed to draw the attention of the whole world to the environmental problems of Lake Baikal in order to help preserve the lake in its original form. The keeper, like an ancient shaman, whose facial features are guessed in the bark of a man-made tree, is calm, peace and strength emanates from him, capable of protecting the lake from rash acts of man.

Recall that the works of Dashi Namdakov were included in the collection of the best museums in the world, and now there are major works by the master in the Irkutsk Regional Art Museum. V.P. Sukachev.

- "The Guardian of Baikal" is a magnificent sculpture of the world-famous author, whose works adorn many countries and cities of the world, - says art critic, artist, director of the Irkutsk Regional Art Museum. V.P. Sukacheva, chairman of the regional branch of the Union of Artists of Russia Natalya Sysoeva. - These are always extraordinary works with an ethnic accent. In my opinion, Olkhon Island was chosen very correctly as the site for the installation of the “Baikal Guardian”, because shamanic and Buddhist motifs are intertwined in it, while you need to understand that it is not a religious building, but a work of art of the highest level, created with good intentions. Finally, in the region where the sculptor began his journey to world fame, his serious and great work has been established.

By the way, not a penny of budgetary funds was spent on the creation and installation of the Baikal Guardian. Recall that the project was sponsored by the Irkutsk philanthropist and gallery owner Viktor Bronstein, and the sculptor Dashi Namdakov himself did not take a fee for its creation. Whereas in other cities and countries the works of the master are highly valued not only in aesthetic terms. Recall that the sculptures of Dashi Namdakov have already been installed in Kazakhstan, Transbaikalia, the Kemerovo region, the republics of Tatarstan and Tuva, and some of them are also inscribed in the natural landscape. In the Irkutsk region there is only one small monument - the sculptor "The Girl of Ust-Orda" in the village of Ust-Ordynsky.

“It is valuable for us that the artist invented this sculpture on Olkhon Island,” said Olga Stasyulevich, Minister of Culture and Archives. - He created it precisely as a keeper, which Baikal needs now. This initiative was supported by the governor Sergey Levchenko.

The sculpture is installed on the territory of the Pribaikalsky National Park and transferred to the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Reserved Pribaikalye".

- This monument was erected as part of our work on environmental education and recreational activities, - said acting. Umar Ramazanov, director of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Zapovednoe Pribaikalye". - Picnic spots will be arranged around, an environmental program and an official route will be created. The monument will give impetus to the development of the village of Uzura, through which tourists will pass. I would like to emphasize that any economic activity in the national park is carried out after scientific justification. And we have expert opinions that the installation of the monument does not harm the environment, and that there are no archaeological sites within its boundaries.

And although the sculpture is not a cult object, local shamans say that even nature itself does not oppose its installation.

– I think that the monument has a very good aura, because even when it was brought to Olkhon Island, the weather was calm and sunny. In my opinion, this is a sign that Baikal favorably accepted the installation of the object, - says shaman Svetlana Shataeva. – The monument has a very strong, but kind energy, and I think that it will bring only good things to Olkhon.

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The scandalous monument of the world-famous sculptor Dashi Namdakov "Keeper of Baikal" was recently installed on the island of Olkhon. Initially, however, it was planned to put it on Cape Khoboy, but due to protests from the outraged public, the place was changed. And, after some doubts, the sculpture stood near the town of Uzura, far from the tourist routes in the north of the island. How do people with an active life position, environmentalists and the inhabitants of Olkhon themselves, feel about this?

The Master himself tries to refrain from commenting.

When we meet on Olkhon in ten years, you will see for yourself that there (near the sculpture) there will be a pilgrimage. Of course, measures must be taken to protect nature and it is necessary to limit the number of people so that they do not trample the earth. But I have no commercial interests there. This is a pure gift to the motherland, - said Dashi Namdakov shortly before the installation of the Baikal Guardian.

One of the most active lobbyists for the erection of the monument on Olkhon, Irkutsk businessman Viktor Bronshtein, claims that the leader of the Mongolian shamans Bair Tsyrendorzhiev himself approved this.

He said that this is one of the most sacred places and that the spirits of Baikal will rejoice if the sculptor is installed here,” says Bronstein.

This is partly confirmed by the words of the famous Baikal shaman Valentin Khagdaev, who lives in Elantsy.

We really discussed the issue for a long time, convened a whole expert council. At first, they wanted to install the sculpture near Cape Burkhan, the most famous place on the island, but I was categorically against it. Spirits can be angry with the image of an idol. Chose Khoboy. This is also a sacred place, but if you perform a special ceremony and ask permission from the deities, then you can. Let people come and admire.

There were also enough opponents of the installation of a scandalous work of monumental art. From the movement "For Sacred Baikal" the prosecutor of the Irkutsk region received an appeal with a request to sort it out.

It is not known whether an environmental impact assessment and ecological expertise were carried out during the design of this monument. We declare that these projects have nothing to do with the traditional values ​​and beliefs of the peoples living on Baikal. In our opinion, they only desecrate the sacred name of Baikal, offend the religious feelings of local residents and can cause irreparable harm to the unique ecosystem of Olkhon, - Andrey Ershov, a representative of this movement, was categorical in his judgments.

Indeed, Senior Assistant Prosecutor Natalya Ryaguzova confirmed:

We received two appeals from residents of the Olkhonsky district about disagreement with the installation of the sculpture. At present, a check has been organized on the legality of providing both a land plot for the installation of a sculpture, and the impact of sculpture on the natural environment. If it is determined that the statue affects the environment, it is possible that it will be dismantled.

And a little later it became known that the prosecutor's office had no complaints about the new place of "registration" of the statue. At least, the head of the department of tourism and recreation of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Zapovednoe Pribaikalye" Vasily Maltsev said:

“The placement of the sculpture on Khoboy was refused. We decided (to put) in Uzura. We went there and explored. There is a small municipality there. After the approval of the new boundaries of the Pribaikalsky National Park, we will study the location from the point of view of legality.”

Vitaly Ryabtsev, an Irkutsk eco-activist and entomologist, turned out to be the most violent opponent of the installation of Namdakov's brainchild on the island.

Personally, the sculpture itself does not cause rejection in me, only its name. Like many, I think that the “Spirit of Baikal” cannot look like this. But the main objection: there is no place for such objects in a specially protected and valuable territory. Let it stand in some settlement. But not in the natural landscape of Olkhon, which is already experiencing an overwhelming tourist load,” he commented on the situation before the monument was erected. But when it became known about the final decision and the place of installation, he spoke more categorically:

We are talking about placing an object in a natural area that is not related to the goals, objectives and main activities of a specially protected natural area of ​​the federal level - the Pribaikalsky National Park. On the contrary, the result of the appearance of this object will be the emergence of another area where the grass cover of the Baikal steppe will be completely destroyed by the emerging parking lot, which will simultaneously accommodate many dozens (possibly hundreds) of cars, as well as the accompanying network of paths, the trampled area around the statue. The area of ​​the site of "dead nature" will amount to many thousands, and not declared in any way 900 square meters. The fact that the site "is not promising for further research" does not in the least reduce its high natural value.

However, the inhabitants of Olkhon themselves are not so categorical and are not always unambiguously “against”.

In recent years, the number of tourists visiting the island has been growing. All that this brings to nature is trampling the soil. For me personally, what can resist degradation is culture, so I support all projects related to raising the general educational and cultural level, - Natalya Bencharova, director of the oldest tourist center on Olkhon, explains her vision. – Nature is beautiful for me, but just as beautiful is the artist, the creator who interprets this nature, adds something of himself to it and returns it back. That is, for me personally, the appearance of the sculpture is a gesture of goodwill of the author, who, touched by the beauty of Baikal, makes an offering to him. Thus, he expresses his respect for the area - and what else can an artist give? On the other hand, calling the sculpture the Guardian and giving it a somewhat intimidating appearance, he, as it were, warns everyone against the unreasonable use of its benefits. This is akin to the images of the formidable guardians of the Buddhist teaching, who, according to the belief of the followers of Buddhism, protect the purity of the teaching from profanity.

In 2016, the famous sculptor Dashi Namdakov announced his new creative concept: "The sculpture, which is an ancient tree" with a clumsy bark, in the deep grooves of which the features of an old man are guessed - the mythical Spirit of Baikal or a Buryat shaman in a vestment and a crown of the horns of a sacred animal, will be cast in bronze in Ulan-Ude. It will be 7.5 meters high and 6.8 meters wide. It will be delivered to the Irkutsk region in parts and assembled here."

Her sketch was presented to the general public:

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The philanthropist even announced the need to create the first ecological reserve in Russia within the boundaries of the unique Baikal island Olkhon, which will be decorated with a huge sculpture. , because does not take into account the presence of the Pribaikalsky National Park on the island and the fact that the first domestic reserve (Barguzinsky) was created 100 years ago, and it was on Baikal.

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In 2017, the statue did not appear on Olkhon. Nothing was heard from her for many months. There was hope that the cultural object would be found elsewhere, outside the island. And suddenly, on August 1, 2018, "Will there be a Baikal Guardian on Olkhon?".

Since the sculpture was planned to be installed on the territory of the national park, various approvals were needed. However, other mechanisms have now been found, and subject to agreement with the residents of Olkhon, the project will be implemented.".

The monument is already low tide in the city of Ulan-Ude. .