From scrap to sculpture

Abbottabad artist welds discarded metal into powerful works that carry messages of resilience, sustainability and hope

Ehtisham Jadoon, a young sculptor from Abbottabad, has carved out a unique artistic identity by turning scrap metal into powerful works of art.

Working from an open-air workshop in the shadow of mountains, he welds discarded materials into striking sculptures that give waste a second life, merging beauty, sustainability, and purpose.

His artistic journey, he admits, was unplanned. “I honestly don’t know why and how I started making sculptures,” he recalled in an interview with APP. “It just happened.” What began as a spontaneous act soon became a calling.

Inspired by nature, animals, and the lush greenery of northern Pakistan, Jadoon became increasingly aware of how industrial waste threatened the world he loved. That realisation sparked a mission: to reclaim the discarded and transform it into something meaningful.

Today, his sculptures are on display at a big mall in Islamabad, where they are drawing crowds of art lovers and curious passers-by. The imposing pieces, crafted entirely from scrap, stand tall against the mall’s polished backdrop, creating a striking contrast that stops people in their tracks.

For visitors, his work is more than art — it is a statement on resilience, waste, and the search for meaning.

Remarkably, Ehtisham has no formal training. His tools are simple: his hands, a welder, and his emotions. Art, for him, is a way of processing his inner struggles, giving them solid form. “Welding burns you. I get burnt every day,” he said. Yet the pain, he adds, is part of the process — each scar a reminder of dedication and craft.

When asked about his favourite piece, he smiles. “My favourite sculptures are always the ones I’m building at the time.” Still, one work stands out: the Ibex, a resilient mountain goat. To him, it represents courage, hard work, and the Pakistani spirit. “I see myself in it, pushing against limits, climbing higher.”

But his art is not only about personal expression. It is also a message to his community. Having seen first-hand how poor waste management affects health and living conditions, Jadoon wants to prove that what society dismisses as waste can be turned into beauty and opportunity.

“I took the burden of finance and I believed that my work will inspire a lot of my people,” he said. Despite financial hurdles and health setbacks, he pressed forward. To him, the struggle is not a burden but an investment — an investment in a better future not just for himself, but for those working beside him in harsh conditions.

The growing recognition of his work, he believes, is proof that people are beginning to understand his message.

Jadoon is not alone in this movement. Across the globe, artists like Malaysia’s Nizam Abdullah, Kenya’s Kioko Mwitiki, and Zimbabwe’s Johnson Zuze are also transforming scrap into art, embedding within it powerful environmental messages. By joining this international community of artists, he places Pakistan on the global map of sustainable creativity.

Beyond the sculptures themselves, Jadoon has become an educator in his own right. He encourages people to view waste as a resource and insists that creativity can uplift entire communities. From sculpture and painting to furniture and income-generating projects, he sees potential in materials that others discard.

His dreams extend well beyond his workshop. Looking to the future, he envisions building large-scale sculptures — robots, Transformers, Iron Man — that will capture the imagination of children and inspire them to think differently about creativity and possibility.

But more importantly, he wants to take his message into the forgotten corners of Pakistan, where clean water and electricity are still luxuries.