Sculptor who Turns Trash into Art

Harminder with his prize in Delhi

A makeover of trash by him turns into an admirable piece of art. Ludhiana-based sculptor Harminder Singh Boparai finds beauty at unlikely places – in waste bins and garbage dumps – and transforms the objects of his fancy into three-dimensional figurines.


For instance, a sculpture depicting a bee on a flower uses cast away cooler fans for petals and discarded foot rests of a scooter for the wings of the bee. For a sculpture symbolizing two dancing girls, the artist uses old milk containers to create the girls’ dresses supported by twisted iron rods for limbs. 


A sculpture of three ostriches uses defunct bike tanks, generator pipes and cycle stands. 



A figurine of two black-and-white ladybirds and another symbolizing a mother-child duo are creative and thoughtful combinations of discarded cooking pans. These are just a few of the nearly 35 pieces created by him out of waste, mostly metal scrap. The other sculptures include Lord Ganesha, Abraham Lincoln, a crow, a dog, and a peacock.

Harminder says he has a passion for all things discarded and is even a compulsive hoarder. “What seems unappealing or quirky to others is inspiration to me. I love turning the everyday objects into interesting things. This is also my way to conserve nature by recycling metal,” says the artist, who teaches art at Satpaul Mittal School. Harminder is also a farmer who, given his habit to not give away old possessions, continues to work with his 40-year-old tractor.



His art is not limited to creating the best out of waste though. Hailing from Ghudani Kalan village, Tehsil Payal, Harminder is a trained sculptor from Tac Academy of Fine Arts and boasts of several awards including Gold Medal in Zonal Level Competitions by Punjabi University Patiala and Appreciation Award by Lalit Kala Academy Chandigarh, 2011. Many of his works have found space in galleries in India and abroad.

His latest achievement is the Silver Minar award, the highest in the art category, at the recently concluded Delhi International Film Festival.


The 32-year-old had showcased a sculpture symbolic of the logo of British entertainment firm HMV. The famous and one of the most loved logo shows a little dog (named Nipper) sitting inquisitively before a gramophone listening to his master’s voice coming from the horn.