Seeing double: When Mo came face-to-face with himself!

JUNE 5, 2021: Its not every day that you come face-to-face with yourself  but thats exactly what happened to well-known Staffordshire entrepreneur Mo Chaudry.

Award-winning sculptor Anil Surendran has produced a bronze bust of Mo in recognition of his investment and contribution to the local business community.

Mo was invited to Anils studio in Stoke-on-Trent for the official unveiling and handover. Watch the video here:

Anil is a classically trained figurative sculptor who graduated from Italys prestigious Florence Academy of Art.

The 14-inch tall bust of Mo is the result of many hours of painstaking creative work at his Moorland Road studio in Burslem.

Anil explains: It takes approximately 21-25 hours to sculpt the bust in clay. I then make a mould of the piece in silicone, and a jacket or mother mould in plaster.

The mould is taken to the foundry where its cast in bronze using the lost wax process before a colour is added by a chemical process called patination. The portrait is set in an appropriate base, and finally buffed with few coats of wax ready for delivery.

Anil, who was born in India and is also a qualified doctor, describes himself as an observer of life. He says: My knowledge of anatomy in medicine helps me tremendously in understanding and sculpting the human figure.

Ive always been fascinated in shapes, patterns and the texture of the world around me, and feel privileged that I have had the opportunity in my life to bridge medicine and sculpture.

Mo is a highly esteemed businessman in Stoke-on-Trent, and I wanted the bust to capture the whole person  a flavour of how his mind works, his posture, and a reflection of how he is viewed by others.

Mo says: I must admit, its a very strange feeling to be presented with an image of yourself, cast in bronze. Im hugely grateful to Anil for all the time he has invested, and the skill he has shown, in creating this piece of work.

Mos bust is added to an illustrious list of pieces which have been sculpted by Anil, from global figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Pablo Picasso, to Staffordshires own Worlds Strongest Man winner Eddie The Beast Hall.