Larger than life: Sculptor sets national record with giant Jinnah statue

‘Aside from exhausting entire savings worth Rs2.5 million, it took over six months of labour to make this sculpture’

ISLAMABAD: Driven by his fondness for the Father of the Nation, Karachi-based sculptor Asim Mirza has claimed a national record by making the largest sculpture of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah to-date.

Building the statue which towers over 12-feet, has required monumental efforts and has taken the artist about six months to make. However, it still needs another few months of glossing and paintwork before the gargantuan statue can be exhibited for the public.

Mirza, who has been sculpting for the past 25 years, this particular statue is has been the most ambitious of his projects.

“I have previously built life-size dinosaurs and several other sculptures for a renowned housing society, as well as projects for the Pakistan Museum of Natural History but nothing has been as demanding as this statue of the Quaid,” said Mirza.

When asked about his passion, Mirza said that his love for the fine art comes from his father Mohammad Bakht Mirza, who although was employed in the air force but shared a great love for all manifestations of art. “As far as my project goes, I have been inspired by the life of Quaid for as long as I can remember. He was an exemplary man and I admire him for working so tirelessly for the independence that we have today.

It had been a lifelong dream of mine to somehow pay tribute to the man I look up to, and what better way for that than through my art?” he shared.

“Although pursuing my dream has been no easy task. Other than exhausting my entire savings worth Rs2.5 million, it has taken me over six months of labour to make this sculpture and it’s still a few months from completion,” he added.

Talking about his creative process, the sculptor said that projects like such require not only hard work but also patience and presence of mind.

“I have used a variety of materials including plaster of Paris, Iron rods and sheets of fibre along with chemicals, in the making of this statue. It’s quite a time-consuming affair¬¬-- every time you apply a sheet of fibre, you have to wait at least three days for it to dry.

Furthermore, there is a lot of planning and management involved, you can’t run out of materials halfway or have your work affected by the weather since largescale projects like such require a lot of open space.”

With the basic structure ready, the next few months for Mirza will be spent painting details on the giant sculpture with the assistance of his workers.

However, once ready, Mirza hopes that his hard work will be appreciated by the public as well as the authorities.

“So far, I haven’t been approached by anyone but it would truly be my honour if my art is placed at a place like Quaid’s Mausoleum, Presidential Palace or The Prime Minister’s Secretariat,” he expressed.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 6^th, 2020.