Saturday 03 / May / 2025
Abuja: In an effort to raise awareness of autism and the challenges faced by autistic people, a 15-year-old Nigerian has set a Guinness World Record for the world's largest art canvas.
Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke, who is autistic, created a work of art with a multicoloured ribbon — a symbol of autism — surrounded by "emojis" on a canvas measuring 12,304 square metres, much larger than the size of a typical football field, which is 7,140 square metres.
The artwork was created in November 2024. It was unveiled and officially recognised by Guinness World Records organizers in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, during World Autism Acceptance Day in April.
"I felt fine. Happy. Just fine," Tagbo-Okeke told the Associated Press. His painting eclipsed that of the previous world record holder, Emad Salehi, who was nearly three times older at 42 when he set the record with a 9,652-square-meter canvas.
Tagbo-Okeke was born in Canada before moving to Nigeria, and his upbringing was challenging, his family said. Many people on the spectrum face stigma and limited resources in Nigeria, but Tagbo-Okeke's family was determined to give him the best support they could.
