Step inside the Indian pavilion at Global Village and be amazed by the artisans' skills
He has never been to London but artist Sunil Kandalloor's work is inspired by the city's famous Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum.
The self-taught sculptor is currently exhibiting his lifelike wax models of Indian and international celebrities such as Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Mother Teresa, Michael Jackson and Benazir Bhutto at the Indian pavilion at the Global Village.
"I have had good reviews for my work, which is exhibited at the Baywatch Museum in Kanyakumari, India.
But I have come to Dubai with the aim of establishing in this city a wax museum like Madame Tussaud's.
"My biggest dream is to get permission to make a wax model of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai," says Kandalloor.
After graduating in fine arts, Kandalloor decided to experiment with wax sculpture because he liked realistic art.
"There was no school or teachers in India who could teach me this art. I have developed my own techniques by reading books and experimenting in my studio," he says.
'Better'
It took him six years of hard work to find the right materials and perfect his technique. But now he can make a wax figure in just 20 days.
"The artists from Madame Tussaud's have the benefit of taking detailed measurements of their subjects and matching the hair, eye and skin colour with that of the real person. But I just work from photographs.
So I feel happy when people tell me that my creations are better than what they have seen at Madame Tussaud's," says Kandalloor.
"I unveiled my model of Shah Rukh Khan just a few days after it was unveiled in London," he adds with pride.
While Kandalloor's work explores a form of art not well known in India, visitors can also see several traditional artists and craftsmen at work at the Indian pavilion.
Artist Vijay Prakash specialises in painting on rice grains. Using a size 000 brush, he can quickly write a visitor's name on a grain of rice.
The rice grain is then placed in a vial of oil, which can be attached to a key ring or other items to create personalised gifts.
Narendra Soni also uses ultrafine brushes to create miniature paintings. Painted on silk, paper and marble slabs his detailed, intricate artworks include replicas of traditional Mughal miniatures as well as his own nature inspired compositions.
The artist from Jaipur is also displaying his innovative adaptation of Tanjore paintings depicting traditional Rajasthani jewellery and costumes in gold leaf.
"Tanjore paintings use real gold leaf and are hence very expensive. I decided to use the same technique to create smaller paintings that are affordable by all," says Soni.
Amazed
The award-winning artist is happy to showcase his work in Dubai. "People get amazed when I show them details such as individual hairs on an animal's body or separate blades of grass in my paintings with a magnifying glass. I was here last year and the interest from people of all nationalities encouraged me to come back," says Soni.
Visitors to the Indian pavilion can also see artisans from Gaya in Bihar make hand carved stone utensils using traditional instruments and techniques as well as demonstrations of block printing of textiles and creation of lac jewellery.
These artisans have been brought to Dubai by the Handicrafts and Handlooms Exports Corporation of India, which was established to revive, preserve and create global awareness of traditional Indian crafts.
Did you know?
This year, the façade of the Indian pavilion is modelled on the Kawardha Palace, in Chhattisgarh, built by Maharaja Dharamraj Singh in 1936.
An entertaining weekend
E4 Entertainment, organisers of the Indian pavilion, have lined up several events this weekend:
- Actor Vivek Oberoi will visit the pavilion tonight.
- Choreographers Bosco and Caesar and their dance troupe will present a performance today.
- Harshida Madhaparia, a finalist in the Indian Idol 3 TV programme will perform tonight and tomorrow evening.
- The 'Footloose' dance troupe from South India will present contemporary Indian dances.
