A ‘MILLION DIRHAM’ TRIBUTE TO ZAYED
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, receiving a portrait of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan which was made of shredded banknotes worth Dh1 million, from Mohammed Abdullatif Galadari, Director of Galadari Brothers, who conceptualised the work of art. The Crown Prince praised the objet d’art, executed by Khaleej Times artist Emadeldin Abdelsalam, as a “symbol of sustainability that paid tribute to the man who pioneered sustainability in the country”.
Sheikh Mohamed told us he liked how we turned shredded banknotes into a piece of art, symbolising sustainability.” Mohammed Abdullatif Galadari, Director of Galadari Brothers
abu dhabi — It was a moment to cherish as His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, received a portrait of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. But this was not just another portrait of the UAE’s founding father. It was a labour of love made of shredded banknotes worth Dh1 million, conceptualised by Mohammed Abdullatif Galadari, Director of Galadari Brothers, and executed by Emad Eldin Abdel Salam, Khaleej Times artist.
After Sheikh Mohamed posted on social media the photo of him receiving the 50cmX70cm objet d’art from Galadari, the post went viral, amassing 17,000 likes within three hours.
According to Galadari, Sheikh Mohamed told them that he had seen the video produced by Khaleej Times, showing how the mosaic was meticulously created. “He told us he liked the idea of how we turned shredded banknotes into a piece of art, symbolising sustainability and paying tribute to the man who pioneered sustainability in the country.”
Galadari added that “presenting Zayed’s portrait to none other than the son of the country’s Founding Father was among his proudest moments”. He said he was impressed with Sheikh Mohamed’s attention to detail. “His Highness was curious to know how long such a tedious task took, and that shows the straightforward and unassuming nature of our leadership.”
How it all came to be
When Galadari received in November last year a million dirhams — in shredded banknotes — he knew they were worth something. He conceptualised creating a portrait of the UAE’s Founding Father to showcase sustainability.
But the shreds were too small and colours were limited as they came only in shades of red, orange, blue and brown for Dh100, Dh200, Dh500 and Dh1,000 notes.
“From the moment I received the gift of shredded banknotes, I knew I wanted to create a lasting legacy with it,” said Galadari. “With 2018 being the Year of Zayed and given the founding father’s determined focus on sustainability, the idea to create a portrait of Sheikh Zayed with these notes to showcase sustainability then became an obsession with me.”
That’s when Emad stepped in to accept the challenge of painstakingly sifting through and sorting out thousands of shreds over days just to identify the right colours and patterns. Armed with a pincer, the Egyptian expat worked with precision that would put a Swiss watchmaker to shame. Emad said the first few days were really a struggle, sifting through and sorting out thousands of shreds just to identify the right colours and patterns for Sheikh Zayed’s eyes, the crease on his forehead and the cleft of his chiselled chin.
And when the wait was finally over and it was time for Galadari’s idea to come alive, it was an ultimate tribute to the legacy of Sheikh Zayed. From the million-dirham shredded banknotes came Zayed: The million-dirham objet d’art.