Pakistani artist and fashion designer Misha Japanwala created two sculptural pieces worn by Lupita Nyong’o in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, marking a prominent film placement for the artist best known for body-cast sculpture.
Nyong’o, who plays both Helen of Troy and her vengeful half-sister Clytemnestra in Nolan’s epic, recommended Japanwala to costume designer Ellen Mirojnick while the pair discussed how to dress the Queen of Sparta (the artist had previous produced a custom breastplate for Nyong’o, which she wore to the 2023 Tony Awards). Japanwala's body castings in bronze and resin often explore scarring, asymmetry, and the human form. In the first work she made for the film, she produced a bronze, asymmetrical neck and shoulder plate for Nyong’o's character.
“To me, it looked like a broken statue,” Mirojnick said of the work in an interview with W magazine, describing how she built the piece into a capelet worn atop a ruched, draped gown. Japanwala told Artsy that for this work she "layered copper and brass metallic coatings to add depth, and then added a brown patina on the surface.”
Another of Japanwala’s works appears in Helen’s final scene, as she bids farewell to Telemachus (Tom Holland). Here, a gold choker by Japanwala is paired with a chainmail-like caftan-gown that Mirojnick sourced in Spain.
“I am so proud of how both of the works turned out and the way they are illuminated in the film,” Japanwala added. “As an artist, it means a lot that Ellen Mirojnick and Sara O’ Donnell, the amazing costume designers, were willing to put in the time and effort to work with an independent artist like me to bring these pieces to life.”
Japanwala, who trained at Parsons School of Design and worked at Elle and the womenswear and accessories brand Proenza Schouler before turning to sculpture full time. She has built a practice around casting bodies—breasts, torsos, stretch marks, scars—as a rejection of conventional beauty standards.
In an interview with Artsy, Japanwala said she hopes her works help people to “meet [their] body where it’s at, to be grateful for it and to understand and appreciate it and allow it to carry [them] through life.”
Represented by Hannah Traore in New York, she staged her first solo show, “Beghairati Ki Nishaani–Traces of Shamelessness” in 2023, followed by “Topographies” at the EXPO Chicago art fair in 2024 and “Sarsabzi” at Traore’s gallery last fall. Her work has also included a viral body cast of Cardi B for the singer’s pregnancy announcement, and she has been profiled in both Indian and American Vogue.
Japanwala’s contribution to The Odyssey is a major moment of recognition for the artist, bringing her interest in the body to one of the major cinematic moments of the year.
“This past week has felt surreal and like a dream!” Japanwala added.“I got to see the film on opening day, and I teared up when Lupita first appeared on screen as Helen of Troy wearing one of the sculptures. Her performance is breathtaking and I am just over the moon that I get to be a tiny part of bringing that character to life.”
