عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

British Artist Sets Guinness Record for Largest Canvas

Artist Sacha Jafri standing on his gigantic painting
Artist Sacha Jafri standing on his gigantic painting
TT
20
TT

British Artist Sets Guinness Record for Largest Canvas

Artist Sacha Jafri standing on his gigantic painting
Artist Sacha Jafri standing on his gigantic painting

British painter Sacha Jafri has officially set a Guinness World Record for "The Largest Art Canvas" in the world. Measuring over 17,000 square feet, the record-breaking painting is titled "The Journey of Humanity."

According to information shared on February 15, the painting is one of the world's largest social, artistic, and philanthropic initiatives. It is part of the charitable initiative "Humanity Inspired" launched by Sacha Jafri in partnership with Dubai Cares, part of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, and supported by the UAE Ministries of Tolerance and Coexistence, and Education.

"Humanity Inspired" aimed at raising $30 million to support underprivileged children and youth worst-hit by the virus outbreak in the poorest regions around the globe. The British artist created his massive canvas inside the ballroom of Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai, within seven months from March to September 2020, while the world was in total lockdown to curb the Covid-19 outbreak. Spending almost 20 hours a day, Sacha used 1,065 paintbrushes and 6,300 liters of paint to complete the extraordinary painting.

Jafri reached over 2.5 billion people around the world through his canvas described as the modern-day Sistine Chapel ceiling, the historic work signed by Michelangelo.

"It was an honor to receive the Guinness World Record title for my project. This is just the beginning for the "Humanity Inspired". The painting and the initiative are much more than just creative work; it is my initiative for true societal change through the hearts, minds, and souls of the children around the world — a springboard for a better future for all Humanity," Jafri said.

"If one person can spend 20 hours a day with only four hours of sleep for seven months to create a painting of over 17,000 square feet, imagine what 7.5 billion people could do together if we stopped discrimination, judgment, and agenda. Our goal is One World, One Soul, One Planet," the artist added.

"Creating the Largest Art Canvas is an impressive achievement by Jafri. We are confident that the humanitarian cause behind it will inspire many around the world. We congratulate him and those involved in this extraordinary work," said Shaddy Gaad, senior marketing manager (MENA) at Guinness World Records.

The monumental painting was later broken down into numbered, signed, cataloged, and framed canvases. A total of 70 individually framed pieces of the artwork will be sold in four auctions in 2021. The raised funds will be donated for charitable initiatives in education, digital connectivity, healthcare, and other fields.

Artist Sasha Jafri inspired his initiative "Humanity Inspired" from his vision to strengthen ties between people in order to achieve a more aware and compassionate post-Covid19 world, and from his commitment to support the future of education, and to provide financial resources and support for health care issues and infrastructure projects in the poorest regions around the world.

Most Viewed

 
Varieties

Wildfires Fanned by Heatwave and Strong Winds Rage Across Europe

A man fights against a wildfire in Vounteni village, on the outskirts of Patras, western Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
A man fights against a wildfire in Vounteni village, on the outskirts of Patras, western Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
TT
20
TT

Wildfires Fanned by Heatwave and Strong Winds Rage Across Europe

A man fights against a wildfire in Vounteni village, on the outskirts of Patras, western Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
A man fights against a wildfire in Vounteni village, on the outskirts of Patras, western Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Wildfires caused by arsonists or thunderstorms and fanned by a heatwave and strong winds wreaked destruction across southern Europe on Wednesday, burning homes and forcing thousands of residents and tourists to flee. 

Fire has affected nearly 440,000 hectares (1,700 square miles) in the eurozone so far in 2025, double the average for the same period of the year since 2006, according to the EU Science Hub's Joint Research Center. 

Flames and dark smoke billowed over a cement factory that was set alight by a wildfire that swept through olive groves and forests and disrupted rail traffic on the outskirts of the Greek city of Patras, west of Athens. 

"What does it look like? It looks like doomsday. May God help us and help the people here," said Giorgos Karvanis, a volunteer who had come from Athens to Patras to help. 

Authorities ordered residents of a town of about 7,700 people near Patras to evacuate on Tuesday and issued new alerts on Wednesday, advising residents of two nearby villages to leave. 

On the Greek islands of Chios, in the east, and Cephalonia, in the west, both popular with tourists, authorities told people to move to safety as fires spread. 

In Spain, a volunteer firefighter died from severe burns and several people were hospitalized as state weather agency AEMET warned that almost all of the country was at extreme or very high risk of fire. 

The 35-year-old man had been attempting to create firebreaks near the town of Nogarejas, in the central Castile and Leon region, when he was trapped in the blaze, regional officials said. 

He was the sixth person to die this year in wildfires in Spain. Others include two firefighters in Tarragona and Avila, according to emergency services. 

Working in unprepared landscapes puts firefighters' lives at risk, said Alexander Held, a senior expert in fire management at the European Forest Institute, adding authorities should prepare by creating buffer zones and clearing combustible vegetation. 

"Take an industrial building and imagine there would be no fire detectors, no sprinkler systems, no fire protection doors and no escape routes – firefighters would just refuse to go in, but in our landscape we expect them to do this," Held said. 

Investing 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) a year in forest management could save 9.9 million hectares - an area the size of Portugal - and 99 billion euros spent on fighting fires and restoration work afterwards, according to Greenpeace. 

SUSPECTED ARSON 

Spanish Environment Minister Sara Aagesen told the SER radio station that many fires across the country were thought to be the work of arsonists due to their "virulence". 

A male firefighter was arrested on Tuesday for fires started in the Avila area north of Madrid two weeks ago, while police said on Tuesday they were investigating a 63-year-old woman for allegedly starting fires in Galicia's Muxia area in August. 

Police have also identified a suspect who is believed to have suffered burns to his hands after starting a small fire in a beachfront development in the southern coastal Cadiz area, Europa Press reported. 

Thunderstorms have caused other fires. 

On Tuesday, shortly after 5 p.m., Andalusia's fire department was flooded with calls by residents reporting a fire caused by a lightning strike on a chestnut and oak forest in Los Romeros, north of the city of Huelva. The fire prompted the evacuation of around 250 residents but was largely controlled by Wednesday morning. 

A blaze in Trancoso in Portugal that has been burning since Saturday got worse during the night as a lightning reignited an area that was thought safe, the civil protection service said. 

In Albania, Defense Minister Pirro Vengu said it was a "critical week", with several major wildfires burning across the country. 

Some 10,000 firefighters, soldiers and police emergency units struggled with a total of 24 wildfires on Wednesday, the defense ministry said. 

Flames reached two villages in the center of the country, forcing villagers to flee, taking their livestock with them. 

"We are going in the middle of two rivers because the fire has arrived," said Hajri Dragoti, 68, from Narte, who fled with his wife taking a cow, a donkey and a dog. "We can't do anything, it is like gunpowder." 

Spain was in its 10th day of a heatwave that peaked on Tuesday with temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit), and which AEMET expected to last until Monday, making it one of the longest on record. 

Pope Leo moved his weekly audience from St. Peter's Square to an indoor venue in the Vatican, "to stay a little bit out of the sun and the extreme heat" as Italy's health ministry issued extreme heat warnings for 16 cities on Wednesday, with temperatures forecast to peak at 39C (102F) in Florence.