Using paper mâché, wood glue and deft fingers, local artist Deez Rampersad has produced a real-life likeness Gandhi bust.
And he hopes that the bust of the passive resistance leader, who famously appeared in the Dundee Court in May 1913, will soon find a place in the recently established Gandhi Museum at the old Court building on Gladstone Street.
“I used a photograph of Gandhi to ensure I could replicate the detail. You have to constantly work on the fine sculpting as the paper mâché dries,” he explained. He commented that the most difficult part of the project was finding the Gandhi-style glasses for the bust.
“After scouring the shops in Dundee we eventually found a suitable pair.”‘

It took Deez (44) about a month to complete his work which follows the famous Mandela statue he produced some years ago which is now in Gauteng.

His other sculptures include elephant heads and a bust of former Mayor, Thulani Mahaye, which has found a home in Mr Mahaye’s house.
He also paints and the completion of his Big Five work remains one of his proudest moments.
Self-taught, Deez said he started sculpting in about 2012 but had always enjoyed an artistic flair through painting and steel work.
A welder and a boiler-maker by trade, Deez is probably also the dream husband. Ask wife, Sharon, who proudly admits that he ‘”cooks and bakes much better than me and he also sews”.

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“I want to start making pizzas again and sell them from my tuckshop on Cornhill Street. I just need the oven but believe me, I can whip up a real Italian-style pizza.”
He is also fond of making a traditional bunny chow and is also a sought-after tiler and general painter. Formerly from Newcastle, Deez says he has been in Dundee for over 20 years. “My ambition is to become recognised as a local artist but I know the scope is limited here. I would love all local artists to come together for an exhibition so we can show the public the extent of the talent we have here.” Anyone interested in Deez’s work can call him on 084 804 8100.