Fola David-Tolaram, a Nigerian doctor and artist, has broken the record for the world’s largest drawing with his own massive drawing, titled “The Unity of Diversity”.
According to the Guinness World Records, the colossal piece, measuring 1,0814.5 ft² — equivalent to 3.8 tennis courts — was crafted on the pitch at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in the Nigerian capital of Lagos.
The gigantic piece of art is a love letter to his home country, depicting its diverse culture.
David-Tolaram, 31, said: “The drawing is a map of Nigeria showing the various cultures. The Nigerian country is a multi-cultural nation. I wanted to create something that speaks to and gives people an avenue to celebrate their cultures.
“Before embarking on this record drawing, I took a trip around my country to experience these different cultures personally and it was this experience that I brought to the stadium to create this drawing.
“The food, the clothing, the way of life, the festivals, the things that are used to create music in each of these cultures, are things that I brought together to create the largest drawing in the world by an individual.”
David-Tolaram, who has been a professional artist for 10 years, dedicated several days of intense effort to create his giant masterpiece, using waterproof markers.
It took two days just to join all the canvases together to make one big enough for him to draw on.
Initially, he began from the centre and planned to work his way out in a circular motion. However, he changed up his technique afterwards, sometimes taking a break from difficult areas to work on something he found easier, before going back to it later.