Nahyan bin Mubarak unveils Guinness World Record's 'The Journey of Humanity'

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Cabinet Member and Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, today unveiled ''The Journey of Humanity'' by renowned British artist and philanthropist Sacha Jafri, which has won the Guinness World Record's title of ‘The Largest Art Canvas’ in the world.

The official ‘Royal Unveiling’ of the painting took place at Atlantis, The Palm on 25th February at the enormous 2,100 square metre Atlantis ballroom where the artwork was initially created. This will be the first time the canvas will be assembled back using each framed piece to recreate the original painting.

Measuring over 17,000 square feet, the record-breaking painting is part of Dubai-based Sacha Jafri’s charitable initiative ‘Humanity Inspired’ that was launched under the patronage of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan in partnership with Dubai Cares, part of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, and Atlantis, The Palm.

The initiative, one of the world’s largest social, artistic and philanthropic projects, aims to raise more than AED110 million (US$ 30 million) to support and help change the lives of children and youth around the world affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"If one person can spend 20 hours a day (with only four hours of sleep) for seven months continuously, creating a painting of over 17,000 square feet, imagine what 7.5 billion people could do together if we stopped discrimination, judgement and agenda. One World, One Soul, One Planet’," the artist said.

Created inside the ballroom of Atlantis, The Palm, which was converted into an art studio, the giant canvas took 28 weeks to create starting from March to September 2020. Spending almost 20 hours a day on the art piece, Sacha used 1,065 paint brushes and a whopping 6,300 litres of paint in order to complete the extraordinary painting.

The monumental painting was later broken down into numbered, signed, catalogued and framed canvases. A total of 70 individually framed pieces of the art piece will be sold in four auctions in 2021. The funds raised will be donated for charitable initiatives in education, digital connectivity, healthcare and sanitation in partnership with Dubai Cares, UNICEF, UNESCO, Global Gift Foundation, as well as the UAE Ministries of Tolerance and Coexistence, and Education.

The initiative has been endorsed by more than 100 celebrities from across the globe, and the project has seen 2.5 billion online users engage with it worldwide.

News Source: https://www.wam.ae/en/details/1395302913717