Making a splash
But singlehandedly creating a painting across the space nearly equivalent to a football field requires an extraordinary physical effort. Jafri explains that he would spend around 18 hours a day bent over – during which he was unaware of what was happening to his body as he was in a trance-like state when painting. It’s not an exaggeration, as scientists who have studied his brain while he’s at work noticed deep theta waves – triggered when the subconscious is operating at high intensity.
The Journey of Humanity and the physical toll it took resulted in a herniated disc where the cushioning between the vertebrae in two places along his spine disintegrated completely. He also dislocated his pelvis on both axes, which resulted in his heel disconnecting from his feet. Jafri had to have surgeries on his back and pelvis, and said that he would begin every morning with a pain injection. The desire though to finish the painting and then drive millions into charity is what, he says, kept him going through the excruciating pain.
In February, Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, the UAE’s Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence unveiled the project. Jafri says that rather than being a validation of his work as an artist, the minister’s decision to support this global philanthropic initiative “says more about him, than it does about us”.
After Jafri finished the painting, the plan was to cut it up into 70 framed canvasses and sell it at several auctions around the world to raise a staggering Dhs110m – at least – under an initiative titled ‘Humanity Inspired’. There were plans to hold auctions at Davos, Paris, London and other destinations – besides an online auction on Facebook too.
However, at an auction held on March 22 at Atlantis in Dubai, French businessman Andre Abdoune successfully bid a whopping $62m – over double Jafri’s initial estimate – to secure the entire painting.
During that auction, two other related pieces were also sold. It included the Brushes Piece which comprised of the original brushes Jafri used when creating the record-breaking painting, and also a framed Clothing Worn by the Artist piece.
Jafri says that all the money raised by the painting will now be donated to charity. He has partnered with Dubai Cares, UNICEF and UNESCO as well as Eva Longoria’s Global Gift Foundation to help fund children’s projects around the world. The initial amount will help aid sanitation, education, food and healthcare needs of children from Brazil and India to the Philippines and Indonesia, and beyond. But Jafri’s got his eye on an even bigger picture – to use the $62m as a building block for the UN’s Giga project to provide internet access to children around the world. “A $2bn fund has been raised on the back of this project through the UN’s Giga project. That’s the aim here.”
The Humanity Inspired is reportedly the largest artistic, social and philanthropic project of its kind to date. But the artist is keen not to cast himself as bigger than the cause. “One man can’t do this on his own, but I can send ripple effects.” Jafri is, unwittingly, triggering a tsunami.
Jafri has partnered with Dubai Cares, UNICEF and UNESCO as well as Eva Longoria’s Global Gift Foundation to help fund children’s projects around the world