As we walked into a quaint art studio near Masab Tank, we were suddenly overcome by feelings of surprise and shock in equal measure. In front of us stood several, very life-like figures — why, some may even say more real than the human beings we come across in daily life. Such are the live statues that city-based artist Dr A Rajesh creates. His work is so real that when he created six live statues of Sai Baba, it was accepted by the Shree Sai Baba Sansthan Trust and installed in the main temple complex in Shirdi. A rare honour indeed, and the artist expresses, “I feel absolutely overjoyed! I am lucky to be the first artist to receive this honour.”
But the first question that comes to mind is: What are these oh-so-real statues made of? England is famous for its Madame Tussauds, a wax museum founded in 1835 by the French wax sculptor Marie Tussaud. So, does our Hyderabadi artist use wax? He grins and chuckles for a moment before saying, “Wax can survive in English weather. But in India, a wax statue would need to be in an air-conditioned room 24/7. Indian artists cannot afford that.”
Dr Rajesh, therefore, follows his own process: First, he uses clay to sculpt the basic features. After these features are absolutely accurate, he does Plaster of Paris (POP) moulding, followed by rubber moulding and silicone moulding. The final output is a gorgeous fibre glass figure which will make you stare in awe every time you look at it.
But it is the eyes — those beautifully real, expressive eyes that convey an array of emotions — that make one tumble into a ‘curiosity kills the cat’ mode. “Ah, for the eyes, I do either of two things: glass eyes or silicon eyes. While one can create the pupil and iris on both materials, silicon allows us to also create blood vessels, which adds to the realism,” Dr Rajesh explains.
When the artist speaks, it is amply evident how passionate he is about what he does. It was due to this ardent love for art that he was accepted into the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University (JNAFAU). While learning how to make regular metal or fibre statues there, he stumbled upon a thought — ‘Why not make far more realistic statues?’ But there was a problem: “They didn’t teach the art of making live statues there,” Dr Rajesh recalls, stating, “So, I taught myself. You see, regular statues put forth limitations, the biggest being the limit to how much detailing you can do.”
But the wish to make realistic statues did not just spring from the need to do something different, but to serve those around him. “I wanted to make live statues of those who have passed on, so their living loved ones could keep them around and feel like they are born again,” he shares.
When making statues of God, Dr Rajesh reveals that he always prays to the deity to ensure a successful outcome. The artist reveals, “There is always an inner voice guiding me as I go about creating the figurine. The key is to surrender to the art.”
Twenty-five years in the art field and 16 years into making live statues, Dr Rajesh expresses his sadness at how unlike the performing arts, this type of art does not receive much support from the government. He adds, “It is my dream to set up a ‘Museum of Live Statues’ in Hyderabad. For this, I require two acres of land and an investment of Rs 20 to Rs 30 cr. The plan is to create life-size statues of well-known Indian artists and freedom fighters. The museum will be a major tourist attraction, right here in the city.”