In the heart of Jeddah, Saudi artist Mishal Al-Amri sees beauty where others see waste. For the past two decades, Al-Amri has transformed unwanted scrap metal into expressive sculptures, giving discarded materials a second life. Although his passion for art began in childhood through drawing and painting, his shift to sculpture emerged later in life.
Al-Amri worked in the banking sector for many years, which limited his time for creative pursuits. “As I said before, it was just a hobby and I stopped it for a long time after I joined the banking sector due to the difficulty of balancing the hobby, the job, and then the family later on,” he explained. However, nearing the age of 40, he resumed painting during holidays and leisure time, eventually dedicating more effort to his art.
It wasn’t until after his retirement at age 59 that he began exploring sculpting seriously. Teaching himself how to weld, Al-Amri started collecting scrap metal items from the streets of Jeddah. “The spark for this artistic journey was the first moments of an evening walk, when my eyes would trace the floor littered with scraps of plastic, scraps of iron and discarded remnants of lighting and plumbing, no longer fit for use or neglected,” he said.
Crafting with Purpose: Upcycling as Art and Advocacy
Each piece of material Al-Amri gathers—from rusted iron to broken fittings—waits in his studio until inspiration strikes. While some pieces are stored for days, others remain untouched for years before being used. Once an idea forms, the process begins with cleaning, cutting, rolling, and shaping the metal by hand.
“The artist has an eye that sees what others cannot; an eye that captures the beauty in the heart of the damaged and neglected, and restores it to life and meaning. My ultimate hope and goal are to give scrap metal a new life,” Al-Amri shared.
He describes the creative process as building relationships between objects—selecting colours and sizes that complement one another in composition. His works are not just visual; they carry a message. According to him, the art serves dual purposes. “My artistic experience in this exhibition is based on two complementary principles: First, protecting the environment from the effects of pollution and human-caused damage, by collecting remnants of harmful materials in the soil and saving them from becoming a burden on the earth. Second, sustaining the usefulness of objects, by recycling them and using them in the field of art after their original function has ended, reborn as works of art that convey an aesthetic, humanitarian and environmental message.”
The Neglected: A Debut Exhibition on Environmental Beauty
Al-Amri’s work culminated in his first solo exhibition titled The Neglected, hosted by the Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts. It invited visitors to reflect on the hidden beauty of discarded items and on art’s ability to redefine what is broken.
“This exhibition is the fruit of those moments; an invitation to see the beauty in the unusual, and to contemplate art’s ability to redefine what is damaged and neglected to ultimately become more precious and valuable,” he said.
Looking ahead, Al-Amri plans to continue his artistic journey with both personal and public goals. “On a personal level, I want to reopen the Cezanne Fine Arts Center, which I founded years ago and continue to cultivate art until its very end. On a more general level, I strive to raise environmental awareness, enabling people to respect and preserve the environment.”
Through vision, dedication, and deep care for the world around him, Mishal Al-Amri has turned forgotten fragments into lasting statements of beauty and purpose.