The newly-crowned king of the British commonwealth King Charles III has been immortalized in a new masterpiece by one Dubai’s most renowned artists Sacha Jafri, in a piece that will be gifted to the Dubai Royal family.
The work, entitled King Charles III Coronation, was gifted to the Al Maktoum family after weeks of work from Jafri, who started the piece earlier this month while at the British Embassy in the UAE for the festivities.
Most significantly, it’s a celebration of both the UAE and the UK King’s commitment to religious freedom, with ‘Defender of All Faiths’ painted clearly above the royal.
It’s a continuation of a longstanding relationship between King Charles and the Al Maktoums, who first visited HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai and Vice President of the UAE, since 1989, when he was the UAE’s Minister of Defence.
Charles visited the UAE again in 1999, this time alone, for a seven day trip across the Gulf, attending the Dubai Airshow and even jumping into the cockpit of a fighter jet.
King Charles III Coronation: A celebration of multiculturalism
So, let’s get a closer breakdown of this painting, which measures 3X3 meters shall we?
As we were saying, the key aspect of the painting is that the ‘Defender of All Faiths’ inscription, along with hearts and a cricle around the religious insignias of Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and more, a celebration of the multiculturalism of both the UK and the UAE.
Just three years ago, the UAE celebrated the Year of Tolerance, and has since inaugerated the Abrahamic Family House, a multi-faith area on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island.
“The Abrahamic Family House epitomizes interfaith harmonious coexistence and preserves the unique character of each religion. It personifies Abu Dhabi’s vision for human fraternity and embeds coexistence into the already diverse cultural fabric of the UAE. Overseeing the development of this iconic project is inspiring and reflective of the UAE efforts in realizing the values of the Document on Human Fraternity and fostering its lofty principles. The naming of the three houses of worship recognises the work of His Eminence Grand Imam Al Tayeb, His Holiness Pope Francis, and Moses Ben Maimon, and harnesses their teachings to forge a message of goodwill for future generations around the world,” said H.E Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture Abu Dhabi and a member of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity at the time.
Also on the painting are pink and purple hearts, a profile shot of the King himself, and various blurred faces of attendees of the big event, held just weeks ago.
Sacha Jafri on the inspiration behind the work
Jafri himself, who has called the UAE home for more than 10 years, he wanted the painting to be a vision of hope.
“As a British artist who has lived in Dubai for over 10 years now, with a long-standing personal relationship with both Charles and William, as well as with members of the Dubai royal family, it is a particular privilege for me to be able to unite my two favourite countries in the world, (the UK and the UAE, along with their like-minded visions for the future of our world leading up to COP28), with this historic and hope-filled painting that stands for the unification of not only the UK and the UAE, but also of the whole of humanity,” he told us.
“The world sits on a knife edge with discord, disconnection, misunderstanding, and catastrophic climate, food security, humanitarian and sustainability issues, but I feel that COP28 will be a turning point for change towards a better future for the children of our world, and I hope in the most heart-felt way possible, that this painting will reflect that change, as well as be a catalyst for its necessity.”