Colour, style, and cultural vibrancy. Three adjectives that describe the city of Rio de Janeiro, and the illustrious 560-foot wall that now holds a Guinness World Records title.
Artist Eduardo “Kobra” has tirelessly designed a canvas of immense hue and history that embraces the title: 'the largest spray paint mural by a team.'
Titled “Etnias”, the incredible painting covers an abandoned warehouse in the Port District.
Kobra’s work required an uncanny combination of ability and artistry. Using a quilted design of brightly saturated figures, the incredible street known as Olympic Boulevard is since the summer Olympic Games in 2016 lined with five indigenous faces of tribal people from differing continents— a choice made by the artist based on the number of rings presented in the Olympic symbol.
Each portrait in the spray-painted composition exhibits the aged faces of the Huli people from New Guinea, the Mursi from Ethiopia, the Kayin from Thailand, the Supi from Europe, and the Tapajos from the Americas.
At 51 feet in height and stretching 560 feet in width, the illustrated faces watch over the 1.9 mile street that is filled with live music, bars, fireworks, and food trucks in celebration of the magnificent Olympic Games.
“I wanted to show that everyone is united, we are all connected,” Kobra told press. His work has received elevated levels of media attention for its grandeur and harmonious message.
Despite his beautiful efforts to promote peace through art, this mural is just a section of a bigger picture.
“Etnias” is actually an addition to the artistic series he has begun called “Peace Outlooks” featuring spray-painted portraits of famous peaceful figures like Malala, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King Jr.
source: guinnessworldrecords.com