Sculpting a legacy

Considering the age of this class I student, calling him a genius would be more than he can handle, as the word comes with baggage. But we can’t call him a baby sensation either, as it would be errant. If there is a word that suits him, that would be wilful. Since  birth, he has been witnessing his grandfather and father making sculptures using wax and clay.

Abhimanyu’s family of traditional sculptors has influenced him a lot. But it doesn’t mean only those who have it in their genes can flaunt it. You need to have the flair for sculpting inside you. But Abhimanyu seems to be going in the right direction even if it is too early to predict his future. At the tender age of seven, he is doing things most of his peers can only dream of.

Since the age of four, he has been ‘stealing’ his father’s materials from his room and make sculptures. “He used to spend a lot of time on it. As kids, they tend to start something and stop after getting bored. But Abhimanyu spends a lot of time with wax and clay,” says his father Subhash. Sculpting at a young age is one thing, but holding an exhibition of his own works is something else.

The recently concluded exhibition of his 100 sculptures  at the Lalithakala Akademi in Kerala attracted many. “The four-day exhibition was a crowd-puller and I never expected this much of reception for my son’s works. At the age of four, when he actually started to make sculptures using wax and clay, I never expected he would continue it. I was wrong. I thought this was just a passing fancy. But when I realised he was serious, I started saving all his works, whether they were sculptures of animals, things, faces or anything. When the right moment arrived, we decided to set up an exhibition,” says Subhash, a trained sculptor and the current caretaker of the Akademi gallery.

 Abhimanyu is a spirited child and  when asked about the response from his friends and teachers, he says, “Everyone liked it. I want to make more things. I really like this.” Subhash is now planning to take his son’s sculptures to his school and showcase it for the children, after a great reception.

Subhash says at first he bought clay for his daughter who is older than Abhimanyu. She showed no interest in it and took to the pencil and pen as she is interested in drawing.

But Abhimanyu surprised him when he started following in his footsteps.

One thing that stands out in his nature is that he is so wilful that he doesn’t like any interference in his work. “I used to sit with him while he works. But he never likes it when I give an advice or suggestion,” says Subhash.

This child artist is a stickler for perfection and he does not want to take any lesson from elders. He makes sculptures that are so tiny that he needs to give a lot of attention to detail.

Abhimanyu’s mother and sister are also very supportive of his work. Subhash’s next plan is to transform his son’s works into bronze as it will give them more value. “If everything goes well, I hope I can finish it soon and help my son set up another exhibition in Kochi,” says Subhash.

What he needs today is encouragement, not training. It was a small dinosaur that Abhimanyu sculpted for the first time and Subhash hopes his son will evolve into a great sculptor.