A Nigerian teen with autism has broken the world record for the largest art canvas.
Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke, a 15-year-old boy, painted a massive canvas measuring 12,303.87 square meters — over 132,000 square feet — breaking the Guinness World Record, the organization said in a press release.
His painting, entitled “Impossibility is a Myth,” was unveiled on April 2, a day internationally recognized as World Autism Acceptance Day.
The canvas is completely covered in technicolor hues and features a large turquoise and coral infinity symbol at the center — meant to symbolize awareness and acceptance, his mother, Silva Tagbo-Okeke, told CNN. The canvas is also surrounded by facial expressions of all different emotions.
Kanye’s previous paintings have exhibited a running theme of smiling and joy throughout, Silva said.
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“He doesn’t talk, but he wants his art to tell his story on his behalf,” Silva told CNN. The mom did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
It’s especially meaningful that Kanye’s work was recognized this month, as April is Autism Awareness Month.
Kanye’s success proves the “boundless potential” of people with autism, the British High Commission in Nigeria wrote on Instagram. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu wrote in a post on X that the 15-year-old is “brave, audacious and tenacious” for his art and activism.
The previous world record holder for largest art canvas, Emad Salehi, painted a 9,652 square meters or just over 100,000 square feet.
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Kanye’s parents learned their son was on the autism spectrum around ages 2 or 3, the Guinness World Records reported. At that time, they sought to help Kanye discover a creative outlet as a means of expression, and thus began his long history of painting, often gravitating towards abstract designs.
At just 8 years old, Kanye was awarded the Flame of Peace award in Austria, becoming the youngest recipient to do so, for his art’s impact on peace.
Tagbo Okeke, Kanye’s father, told Arise News there’s “an innocence that comes with him and what he does” as an artist.
“The way he uses his art to express himself, and the colors he uses and how he mixes them, and how he puts in so much vigor when he’s painting, and how he focuses at that point in time,” he said. “He’s busy and he’s focused, and nothing stops him.”
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The Guinness World Records title is now an impressive, important part of Kanye’s mission towards boosting autism awareness, Kanye’s parents told Guinness World Records officials.
“This opens a whole new world of possibilities for special needs children and their caregivers,” they added. “In addition to autism awareness, inclusion and neurodiversity, it also gives hope that there are infinite possibilities in every human irrespective of the diagnosis.”
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