My paint-a-thon attempt was to promote the power of art-Artist Bari

In a world where creativity is often silenced, Ghanaian artiste and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bari's Artistry, Mubarakatu Isaka aka Artist Bari, has disclosed that she embarked on her paint-a-thon attempt to promote the value of art. 

Artist Bari started her longest painting marathon by an individual on Monday, April 29 and ended on Tuesday, May 7 at Extreme Pup Restaurant in Akwatia, Eastern Region.

Despite the lack of fanfare surrounding her paint-a-thon, she noted that her primary objective was to celebrate and promote the beauty of art, and she successfully achieved that goal.

 “I was not just creating art but was making a statement. For 154 hours straight, I painted with passion and purpose. Besides, we live in a world where creativity is often silenced so my paint-a-thon attempt was a reminder that art is not just beautiful, but necessary,” she said. 

Artiste Bari's attempt happened shortly after Ghanaian artist, Sharon Dede Padiki, had completed her seven-day GWR attempt for the longest painting by an individual.

After her attempt at the Accra Tourist Information Centre, Accra, on March 22, 2024, Sharon surpassed the current record of 100 hours, with 168 hours and 145 paintings.

Artiste Bari revealed that her 154-hour paint-a-thon, though shorter than Sharon's attempted record of 168 hours, was not a competitive endeavour. 

“I had a lot of discouragement from many people who didn’t have faith in me, a lot of people thought I was just wasting my time. They didn’t understand the motive behind what I was doing.

“You see, creativity and art always bring people together but it is something we don’t really promote in our country, which is very bad. And I thought, let me use this opportunity to enlighten Ghanaians and elevate the relevance of arts.

“I want to encourage the youth to sharpen their creative skills since arts have become the core of the world,” she said. 

She revealed that her paint-a-thon left her physically and mentally drained but that never deterred her from achieving her purpose.

“At a point, I had health issues, I was hallucinating and was physically and mentally drained, but what actually kept me going was the passion and dream I have for arts. I thank God I went through with my goal,” she said. 

She couldn’t hide her excitement over the feat of 1-year-old Ghanaian, Ace-Liam Ankra, who was recently named the 'world's youngest male artist' told Graphic Showbiz she was eagerly waiting for a response from GWR regarding her own achievement.