On Sunday, Lagos-based doctor and visual artist Gbadamosi Adefemi, popularly known as Fola David, made history by breaking the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest painting by an individual.
His work, titled “Unity in Diversity,” spans an impressive 850 square meters, surpassing the previous record of 629.98 square meters held by India’s Ravi Soni.
The artwork took six days to complete, starting on July 16 and ending on July 20 at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos.
During the attempt, several high-profile figures and celebrities, including Senior Special Assistants to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, were present.
Here are five things you should know about the record-breaking artist:
- He is a self-taught visual and hyper-realism artist, which makes him quite versatile and a master of various approaches to artistic expression.
Exploring the different styles imbues him with the versatility to deliver on the task of breaking the record as it requires a fair share of mental fortitude and some mastery to paint for extended period of time.
2. He specializes in speed painting, which involves painting people on stage while the canvas is upside down or spinning.
This would also explain the relatively quick time in completing the task. Through various speed painting gigs he had done in the past, it would not be surprising to find many of his fans troop to the venue of the record-breaking event to show their support.
3. He holds a degree in Medicine and Surgery from the College of Medicine, University of Lagos.
As such, he enjoyed the support of a lot of University of Lagos students and alumni who showed support at the stadium and across social media.
4. He was nominated for The Future Awards Africa Prize for Art & Culture in 2017.
He has been quite visible in the art space over the years and runs a Foundation, further expanding the scope of his influence as an artist.
5. He has worked on canvas for notable figures such as the Ooni of Ife Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Patoranking, Trey Songz, Wale, Keri Hilson, Jidenna, 2face, Iyanya, DJ Jimmy Jatt, and Alibaba.