Photos: Stephen Hawking and others as hyperreal statues in Kolkata

Kolkata based artist Subimal Das and his team of five has been busy this past month and a half finishing a sculpture of British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking on his trademark wheelchair for a city museum. Das is Kolkata’s only silicone sculptor and his pieces stand apart for their hyperrealism. These lifelike sculptures are skillfully made to resemble the human figures they are based on, with each pore, fold and trademark characteristic fleshed out. Side by side, the real and Das’ interpretation may well be impossible to tell apart –even to the touch.

Updated on: Jun 13, 2018 1:33 PM IST

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Surrounded by life-sized figures hidden under layers of packaging, Stephen Hawking on his wheelchair gazes into the distance. Clearly it’s not the theoretical physicist himself –Hawking died earlier this year on March 14. Instead, this is a hyper-realistic silicone sculpture at artist Subimal Das’ Kolkata studio, commissioned by a city museum. (Samir Jana / HT Photo)

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At this Nagerbazar studio, Hawking isn’t alone. Das and his team of five co-artists have been shaping every fold, pore and curve on the British physicist’s sculpture these past couple of months. And in various stages of completion are bits and pieces of other famous personas from around the world. Here, a clay bust of Amitabh Bachchan is uncovered by a co-artist. (Samir Jana / HT Photo)

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Artists work on clay bases for sculptures. These models are the first step in an elaborate and painstakingly detailed project. Once clay has been fleshed out into a desired character, fiberglass or rubber is used to make a mould. The exterior is finally covered in silicone, giving it a skin like feel. (Samir Jana / HT Photo)

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Rubber moulds and clay models line racks at the studio in Nagerbazar. The final step is the placement of each piece’s accoutrements such as hair, clothes, marble eyes etc. The fixtures for these hyper-realistic sculptures are all imported from the US. (Samir Jana / HT Photo)

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An artist at Das’ workshop prepares a model of Bollywood actor Aamir Khan. Working in art since 1993, a project with the Anandpur Sahib Museum in 2013 exposed Das to silicone as a medium. When attempts at seeking technical insight from the Sally Corp. in the US failed, Das took a few months to experiment and eventually taught himself the process. (Samir Jana / HT Photo)

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Over the years silicone has found use in hyperreal mannequins in museums and as prosthetics in Bollywood for their ability to mirror human flesh and skin. But the costs involved have kept growth and adoption in regional cinema industries slow. The one Das and his team have been working on of Hawking is pegged at Rs 2.25 lakh, but some can go up to Rs 7 lakh. (Samir Jana / HT Photo)

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Subimal Das (foreground) seen at his studio in Kolkata. With over 250 of his sculptures on permanent exhibit at locations across India such as the Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum, Punjab State War Memorial, Ambedkar Memorial, Anandpur Sahib Museum, Das is hopeful that this particular art form, while laborious in its process has scope for prominence because of the realism of its product. (Samir Jana / HT Photo)