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Sudarsan Pattnaik: Raising Awareness With Exceptional Art - Award-winning Indian artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has attracted worldwide audiences and accolades with his unique ability to raise public awareness on global issues and figures through a new art form. Pattnaik recently joined the throng of Nelson Mandela well-wishers by creating a vibrant sculpture of the former South African president. Keep reading for a closer look at more of his inspirational tributes. —Patrice Peck(Photo: REUTERS/Stringer)

Photo By Photo: REUTERS/Stringer

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Born and Raised by the Beach - Sudarsan Pattnaik grew up in Puri, a popular beach city located in Eastern India. Born to a middle class family, Pattnaik taught himself the art of sand sculpting after failing to find any professional assistance in the unconventional art form. (Photo: STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images)

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Nature as Tool and Subject Matter - Not only is nature a material in Pattnaik’s artwork, it is also an inspiration. People should evaluate “their treatment with the environment,” he told reporters at India Times. They should “find a proper way to have a balance with the nature.”(Photo: ASIT KUMAR/AFP/Getty Images)

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Pakistani Youth Activist Honored - About a week after teen Malala Yousufzai was shot in the head by the Taliban, Pattnaik placed the final touches on a sand sculpture done in honor of the Pakistani education activist. The five-foot tall structure was on display at Puri beach, where the artist still exhibits most of his work.(Photo: STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images)

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Former Egyptian President Asked to “Stop Violence” - Pattnaik crafted the face of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011. “As an artist, I have been performing worldwide and this is the best way for me to express concern,” said Pattnaik about the sculpture of the controversial leader.  (Photo: REUTERS/Stringer)

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Pattnaik Pays It Forward to Budding Sand Artists - To provide fledgling artists with the training he never received, Pattnaik founded the Sudarsan Sand Art Institute at the Sea Beach in Puri. Several students assisted the artist with creating this four-foot high sculpture of the late Margaret Thatcher. Four hours and three tons of sand were required.   (Photo: AP Photo/Biswaranjan Rout)

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Barack Obama Celebrated on the Beach                - President Barack Obama’s presidency has inspired many of Pattnaik’s works. "I created the sculpture to congratulate Obama for the election victory," he told reporters. Pattnaik also celebrated Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize win in 2009 with a different sculpture.(Photo: REUTERS/Stringer)

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Remembering the King of Pop - This vivid sculpture marked the anniversary of music legend Michael Jackson’s death. Jackson's image has appeared several times in Pattnaik’s work.(Photo: STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images

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A September 11 Tribute - Pattnaik paid tribute to the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center. "We are very saddened by the loss of innocent lives in the U.S. attack,” he told reporters. “And this way we are paying tribute to the 9/11 victims."(Photo: STR/AFP/Getty Images)

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Stop Terrorism, Says Pattnaik - Following deadly twin bombings by Islamist militants in the shopping center city of Hydrabad, the acclaimed artist built a six-foot-tall sculpture protesting the attack. Pattnaik has competed in over 50 international sand sculpture championships. (Photo: REUTERS/Stringer)