Paper sculptor set to showcase works at Mumbai Art Fest

City-based artist Moka Satish Kumar creates extraordinary art work out of the humblest of materials — paper.

The self-taught artist, whose journey into the creative world began during his childhood years, has been making some of the most incredibly intricate three dimensional paper art works ever seen.

After his first group shows in Mumbai and Delhi recently, the artist is now gearing up to showcase his works for the Mumbai Art Fest scheduled to be held from September 16 to 18 this year at Mumbai Museum, Kala Ghoda. The fest will see a conglomeration of over 50 artists from India and abroad.

Speaking to

The Hindu , the artist said that this would be the first major show where his works would be showcased. “I am currently working on five new works for the show. Paper sculpting is a painstakingly long process. For a two-by-two feet size of paper art work, it takes anywhere between 15 days to one month to complete,” said Kumar. After this, he will be heading to Delhi’s Lalit Kala Akademi for his next show later this year. One of the very few artists in India to explore the art of paper sculpting, Kumar’s works stand apart for the embossing effect on paper that generates shadow details and adds depth to a piece of art.

His works are often mistaken as a stone sculpture. One of his works titled ‘The Beautiful Indian Lady’ has brought him accolades from art connoisseurs across the globe for his surreal interpretation of feminine beauty and immaculate attention to detail. The artist has patented the art work five months ago and has so far sold five of the art work in India and London.

“Paper sculpting is one of the most difficult art forms. For instance, in ‘The Beautiful Indian Lady’, right from getting the perfect thin texture of hair to creating a shadow effect on the facial features, it all requires tremendous precision. This is one medium which requires creativity as well as technical precision for the sculpting and embossing to be perfect. This art form does not leave any room for errors. Once if you falter while fixing the artwork, there is no scope to redo it again. I have to discard the entire piece and start all over again,” said Kumar, who left his job in the private sector five years ago to pursue his passion with paper sculpting and involve himself full time into it. He draws inspiration from international artists like Jeff Nishika and Kelvinson Nicholas.