TIRANA, Nov 5 – The 9-time Guinness World Record Albanian artist Saimir Strati has promised that his new mosaic-portrait of Mother Teresa will be a masterpiece and grant him the 10th Guinness Record.
The 10-square meter portrait is gradually taking shape as the 50-year-old artist has started working at “Kosovo Museum” in Prishtina to set a new record for the largest mosaic using 1.5 million white and brown coloured metal buttons on the surface of a sophisticated wooden structure.
According to Strati, the technique he is using is one of the most difficult ones he has ever used to claim the previous Guinness records.
“The idea for the mosaic developed whilst watching and listening news reports over the large influx of the refugees and over the decision of a country to build a barbed wire fence to keep these people out. At that moment I thought that only Mother Teresa could save those people,” Strati has told KultPlus magazine.
I would call this year as the year of Mother Teresa, Strati added, appealing everybody to follow the Catholic nun’s example who dedicated her life to helping the poor and the sick.
“I know it will be a masterpiece. The deadline is November 1 to 30 but I plan to finish it by November 28,” the artist said, adding that the London-based Guinness World Record authors have been informed and have approved Strati’s newest challenge.
Mosaic artist, Saimir Strati began his career doing restorations to several mosaics at the archaeological sites of Bylis, Amantia and Apollonia in Albania. He has created some of the most spectacular mosaics and has been awarded 9 Guinness World Records in the last decade. He has created one-of-a-kind mosaics using only toothpicks, nails, screws, coffee beans, wine corks, or even paint brushes.
Strati was born in Tirana, Albania. He began his career doing restorations in Albania to several mosaics at the archeological sites of Byllis, Amantia and Apollonia. He is a member of the British Association of Modern Mosaic.