Dubai-based painter Sacha Jafri is known for pushing the boundaries and this time around he’s really outdone himself by earning a Guinness World Record for his latest piece.
Completed at the Atlantis The Palm, the painting – known as ‘The Journey of Humanity’ – scales over 17,000 square feet.
The official unveiling of the painting took place last Thursday, February 25, and it was a very royal affair, as Jafri stated himself.
His Highness Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Cabinet Member, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and His Excellency Dr. Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer at Dubai Cares both attended the event as it was one of the world’s largest social and philanthropic projects.
“The Royal Unveiling of ‘The Journey of Humanity’,” Jafri said on Instagram sharing a series of photos with Sheikh Nahyan at the unveiling. “So honoured to have His Highness with us on the night, and The Royal Family of Abu Dhabi, Dubai & The UAE supporting this incredible project.”
The record-breaking painting took seven months to complete with working over 20 hours a day to complete with around 1,065 paint brushes and 6,300 litres of paint to complete this masterpiece.
The painting comprises of 70 individually framed pieces and will be sold to auction in order to raise money for Humanity Inspired, which funds charitable initiatives in the educational, digital, connectivity, healthcare and sanitization sectors, which is especially needed during the global pandemic.
The initiative was headed by UNICEF, Unesco, the Global Gift Foundation and UAE-based organisation Dubai Cares. Not does the painting break records in terms of size, but it’s also set to raise a huge amount of money for charity – an estimated $30 million (approximately Dhs110 million) as he hopes to reach over 2.5 billion individuals worldwide.
“‘The Journey of Humanity’ represents my own journey that I embarked upon during the COVID-19 pandemic to fulfill my dream to reconnect our planet,” Jafri said. “So many people have contributed to this beautiful initiative, in so many different ways at a time when the world had become completely disconnected.”
Pieces from ‘The Journey of Humanity’ are now on display at the Leila Heller Gallery located in Alserkal Avenue, Dubai.
