‘Largest Art Canvas’ to raise Dhs110m for needy youths
Sacha Jafri has been able to reach more than 2.5 billion people worldwide through this single piece of art which took seven months, 20 hours a day, to complete
Dubai-based British artist and philanthropist Sacha Jafri has officially set the Guinness World Record title for ‘The Largest Art Canvas’ in the world, with his painting ‘The Journey of Humanity’, scaling over 17,000 square feet (17,176.6 square feet), Guinness World Records confirmed.
Sacha Jafri’s record-breaking painting, ‘The Journey of Humanity’, now described as ‘The Modern-day Sistine Chapel’, is part of his charitable initiative ‘Humanity Inspired’, supported by over 100 A-list celebrities in partnership with Dubai Cares and Atlantis, The Palm.
The initiative, one of the world’s largest social, artistic and philanthropic projects, aims to raise more than Dhs110 million to support children and youth around the world affected by the pandemic.
Considered the largest worldwide social, artistic and philanthropic initiative in history, the painting was created in Atlantis, The Palm’s ballroom, which was converted into the artist’s studio, where Sacha spent a period of 28 weeks from March to September 2020 during the lockdown.
Sacha, one of the most celebrated artists of our time, has been able to reach more than 2.5 billion people worldwide through this single piece of art which took seven months, 20 hours a day, to complete. He used 1,065 paint brushes and a whopping 6,300 litres of paint to create the extraordinary painting.
Speaking about his world record and his brave initiative Sacha Jafri said, “It was an honour to receive the Guinness World Records 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 beter future for all Humanity.”
“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 Largest Art Canvas is a record that we accepted by Sacha” said Shaddy Gaad - Senior Marketing Manager (MENA) at Guinness World Records. “We are confident that the humanitarian cause behind the achievement is one that will inspire people. We congratulate him and those involved in this extraordinary achievement and we are happy to declare them as Officially Amazing.”
Since moving from the Atlantis Ballroom, this monumental painting ‘The Journey of Humanity’ has been broken down into numbered, signed, catalogued, and framed canvases. 70 individually framed pieces of ‘The Journey of Humanity’ 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; in partnership with Dubai Cares, UNICEF, UNESCO, Global Git Foundation, as well as the Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence and the Ministry of Education in the UAE.
Dubai Cares CEO Dr. Tariq Al Gurg said, “Dubai Cares would like to congratulate Sacha Jafri on this unparalleled accomplishment that will paint a new future for many underprivileged children and youth around the world. ‘The Journey of Humanity’ is a remarkable showcase of the power of collective effort and its tremendous impact in creating positive change. We are proud to be part of this extraordinary initiative that is set to empower its beneficiaries with the basic human opportunity to transform their lives into unique masterpieces of their own.”
On Feb.25, this masterpiece returns to the place of its creation, the enormous 2100 metres squared Atlantis ballroom. This will be the first time that the canvas is ‘reunited’ as each framed piece will be assembled, recreating the original painting.
From February to May 2021, select pieces from ‘The Journey of Humanity’, along with Jafri’s much celebrated ‘18yr Retrospective Collection’ will be on show at the largest gallery in the UAE, the Leila Heller Gallery, which is located in Alserkal Avenue, Dubai.