REGULAR readers of the blog will know that I’m a fan of graffiti artist Saype, whose super-sized artworks pop up in some of the world’s most spectacular settings.

Swiss-French Saype, who is entirely self-taught, is best known for his paintings on grass, which are created with a 100% biodegradable paint that he developed himself.

Among his works has been a continuing quest to create the largest human chain in the world, linking hands in 30 cities around the globe – and now the project has just reached the Great Pyramids in Giza.

“For four years, I have been working on this project,” he says. “But finally, it’s done. I have just completed the twentieth stage of my Beyond Walls project, launched in 2019 at the Eiffel Tower.”

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It has been, he admits, one of his toughest challenges.

“In some places, the terrain is very unstable, and the passage of camels and horses made it challenging. I chose a location farther than I had imagined because at the slightest passage of anything over my fresco, everything would have had to be redone.

“The wind didn’t help me much either. The sand blows and quickly erases initial sketch lines. I had to compress my time and cross my fingers for favourable weather. Working on the sand is always a significant challenge – everything can disappear at any moment.

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“The Egyptians gave me an incredibly warm welcome, and I have been working on this project with the Swiss embassy for four years. They have been extremely patient and have never really abandoned the project. I owe them a lot for this stage.”

The message of the helping hands could not be more timely with conflict in Ukraine and Palestine threatening to spread further on the world stage. You can see all the Beyond Walls artworks so far at Saype’s official website.

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