“He spray paints his clothes and puts golden powder on his face and I thought to do the same,” Ahsan told Arab News on a busy intersection of Islamabad’s Jinnah Market ISLAMABAD: When 18-year-old Mohammed Ahsan arrived in the Pakistani capital to find a job, little did he know that a series of coincidences would soon turn him into the city’s new and unique performance artist, the “Golden Man of Islamabad.” Painted from head to toe in gold, Ahsan stands on street corners attracting considerable and positive attention, not just from passersby, but also from authorities. While his sort of performance is not a new thing — “living statues,” as they are known, are common in Europe and many other Asian countries — Ahsan is the first one to be spotted in Islamabad. He has gained popularity ever since Islamabad’s deputy commissioner, Hamza Shafqat, posted his photo on social media last week, granting him special permission to perform around the city. Originally from Karachi, Ahsan traveled to Islamabad several months ago to look for work. But despite countless efforts, he could not find employment, and on a day when he was about to give up, he began to browse videos on TikTok to cheer himself up. It was there that he saw clips of Girjesh Gaud, who performs as a living statue in Mumbai, India.