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Why do we find small things cute? Austrian ethologist Konrad Lorenz answers this with 'Kindchenschema' — baby-like traits such as roundness and tiny proportions —that trigger our brain’s reward system, flooding us with affection. And sometimes, the reaction is so strong it tips into what we call 'cute aggression': that strange urge to squeeze something because it’s too adorable. In short, miniatures play with our perception, turning the everyday into something unexpectedly enchanting. Here are three Indian artists who bring this magic to life:
Esmaric transforms Indian motifs into finely detailed collectibles. He describes his craft as “a unique blend of miniature art and Indian heritage” through items like the evocative Chai Tapris, miniature houses, kitchens, and range of fridge magnets and keychains shaped like Indian street foods. Esmaric also creates miniature clay idols such as Ganpati figures and scaled-down architectural models, including stylised shrines and heritage structures. Each work translates familiar elements of Indian life into miniatures that are both playful and rooted in cultural memory.
Follow him here.
Sailee Samel, the founder of 'The Yellow Brushh', sculpted her way into the miniature art world during the pandemic. Working with polymer clay, she recreates slices of everyday Indian life in painstaking detail. Her repertoire includes vada-pao carts with tiny buns and chutney jars, banana-leaf thalis laden with curries and accompaniments, and nostalgic bakery counters filled with miniature pastries and bread loaves. She also crafts regional dishes like modaks and puran polis, festive spreads for Ganesh Chaturthi or Diwali, and tiny street-side snack stalls. Each miniature captures not only the look of Indian food culture but also the atmosphere of the spaces where it thrives, turning familiar experiences into palm-sized keepsakes.
Follow her here.
Omkar Umesh Ghate, a JJ School of Art alumnus (display design & stagecraft), brings urban India to life through his miniatures. From a five-millimetre-to-a-foot model of a the Mumbai's iconic Dean’s bungalow to intricate Bandra lanes, and landscapes, his creations, crafted from paper, sunboard, M-Seal, are remarkable feats of scale and detail. Each piece takes approximately 10 to 12 days to complete, and reflect his devotion to realism. The attention he recieved online led him to co-found 'Sharp Cutter', a studio producing miniature sets for TV, ads, and stop-motion projects.
Follow him here.
