One boy is breaking down the stigma around Autism one paint brush stroke at a time. Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke is only a teenager, but already, his art is helping change the world.
Despite being non-verbal, the 15-year-old painter hasn’t stopped showing off his passion for art. Tagbo-Okeke is one of 700,000 children with autism globally, according to the World Health Organization. Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects social skills as well as language and interactive skills. April is also Autism Awareness month, so to celebrate, Tagbo-Okeke was invited to put his art on display... in the biggest way possible.
On April 2, the Nigerian born artist unveiled his mural, which spans over 132,000 square feet, according to CNN. This makes Tagbo-Okeke’s painting the biggest mural done on canvas by an individual, which broke the Guinness World Record, the press release said.
The young artist is no stranger to displaying his work. Over the years, Tagbo-Okeke has won multiple awards including the Flame of Peace Award, presented by the Archduke and Duchess of Austria, according to Arise News. He had his first exhibition when he was just 8 years old.
Now, he’s setting impressive records. His mural, titled “Impossibility is a Myth,” is an abstract piece featuring a turquoise and pink infinity symbol in the middle of it. “That sign means awareness, acceptance,” his mother, Silva Tagbo-Okeke told CNN. Around the infinity symbol are faces with expressing emotions. “You see the sad faces, the smiley, the crying,” she said before explaining Tagbo-Okeke frequently uses the faces in his other paintings. “You go back in history, you see all those smiley faces,” she continued.
Tagbo-Okeke’s parents learned their son was on the spectrum when he was around 2 or 3 years old, according to Guinness World Records. That’s when they sought to find a creative outlet for their son, and the rest was history. “He doesn’t talk, but we want his art to tell his story on his behalf,” Silva said.
After their son was honored, Tagbo-Okeke’s parents told the Guinness World Records, “This opens a whole new world of possibilities for special needs children and their caregivers.” They continued, “In addition to autism awareness, inclusion and neurodiversity, it also gives hope that there are infinite possibilities in every human irrespective of the diagnosis.” The 15-year-old will officially go down in the books for breaking the record and breaking the negative stigma behind autism. Now, that’s a picture worth 1,000 words.