Artist paints largest mural of King Abdulaziz

The mural of King Abdulaziz by Mohammed Al-Ammar can be seen on a tower on King Fahd Road in Riyadh. (Supplied)

• Al-Ammar told Arab News that it was a different, rich, cultural and artistic experience, especially after receiving accolades from citizens, residents and foreigners in the city

MAKKAH: Artist Mohammed Al-Ammar’s mural of King Abdulaziz decorating a tower on the King Fahd Road in Riyadh has been registered with Guinness World Records, and the hope is for a winning entry.

The artist has captivated passersby and visitors with his detailed graffiti art, covering an area of 1,200 sq m.

Al-Ammar worked for about 50 days on the mural, using thermal gaseous paint sprays to make sure that the graffiti was not damaged by weather elements such as wind and rain.

Al-Ammar told Arab News that it was a different, rich, cultural and artistic experience, especially after receiving accolades from citizens, residents and foreigners in the city.

He explained that this type of graffiti was challenging, requiring great care and professionalism since it was about the founder of the nation. “It was a great responsibility” but he was confident he could pull it off.

FASTFACTS

• The artist has captivated passersby and visitors with his detailed graffiti art, covering an area of 1,200 sqm.

• Mohammed Al-Ammar worked for about 50 days on the mural, using thermal gaseous paint sprays to make sure that the graffiti was not damaged by weather elements such as wind and rain.

• The artist will focus on large-scale paintings as many are turning to graffiti art given its power of influencing and attracting people.

“I always dreamt about painting a giant mural. My first experiment was on this tower, and it received broad acclaim. It was not easy to paint at a high altitude; it was rather dangerous, but I was encouraged every day by passers-by who showed me great support,” he said.

It took weeks of planning and reviewing the idea in detail, studying dimension and size to achieve the feat.  

Speaking about his future plans, Al-Ammar said that he will focus on large-scale paintings as many are turning to graffiti art given its power of influencing and attracting people.

Graffiti art has passed through several stages before becoming one of the most widespread forms in the world with unconventional approaches to subject matter, style and use of tools.