Sacha Jafri has just made history. The Dubai-based British artist and philanthropist officially set a Guinness World Record title for the largest art canvas in the world, scaling over 17,000 square feet.
The painting, entitled ‘The Journey of Humanity’, was created during the COVID-19 lockdown in Atlantis, The Palm’s ballroom, which the artist converted into a studio, spending 28 weeks from March to September 2020—for an estimated 20 hours a day—painting his masterpiece, which has been described as ‘the modern-day Sistine Chapel’.
The piece, for which he used 1,065 paint brushes and a whopping 6,300 litres of paint to create, is part of his charitable initiative ‘Humanity Inspired’, supported by over 100 A-list celebrities and launched under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Cabinet Member, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence in partnership with Dubai Cares, part of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives and Atlantis, The Palm. It’s considered the largest worldwide social, artistic and philanthropic initiative in history.
“It was an honour to receive the Guinness World Record title for my project ‘The Journey of Humanity’. This is just the beginning of the ‘Humanity Inspired’ journey. ‘Humanity Inspired’ and ‘The Journey of Humanity’ is much more than a painting, it is my initiative for true societal change through the hearts, minds & souls of the children of the world – a springboard for a better future for all humanity,” said Sacha Jafri.
“If one person can spend 20 hours a day (on four hours sleep) for seven months continuously creating a painting of over 17,000 square feet on his own, imagine what 7.5 billion people could do together if we stopped the nonsense of discrimination, judgement and agenda. One World, One Soul, One Planet’,” the artist continued.
Since moving from the Atlantis Ballroom, the painting has been broken down into numbered, signed, catalogued, and framed canvases. 70 individually framed pieces will be sold across four auctions in 2021, with the funds being raised for charitable initiatives in the sectors of education, digital connectivity, healthcare, and sanitation. All and all, the initative aims to raise more than $30 million.
The sales will be in partnership with Dubai Cares, UNICEF, UNESCO, Global Gift Foundation, as well as the Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence and the Ministry of Education in the UAE.
The painting will be returned and recreated in the place of its creation at The Atlantis Ballroom on February 25.
Special viewing platforms are due to be set up, with a maze through which the painting can be viewed, set to be “enjoyed by a select few”. Singer Leona Lewis will perform at the event.
Select pieces from ‘The Journey of Humanity’ will be on display from February to May 2021, along with Jafri’s much celebrated ‘18yr Retrospective Collection’ will be on at the Leila Heller Gallery in Alserkal Avenue, Dubai.
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