Roderick “Papalo” Saranza has found an unusual way to celebrate one of football’s greatest players. The artist from Tandag City in the Philippines recently transformed a stretch of beach into a giant portrait of Argentina captain Lionel Messi, using nothing more than sand, carving tools, and a little help from virtual reality technology.
The large-scale artwork has attracted attention online, not only because of its impressive size but also for the creative process behind it. Instead of sketching directly onto the sand, Saranza first planned the design using virtual reality (VR) goggles before carefully carving and shading the portrait on the beach.
Once the artwork was complete, he launched a drone to inspect every detail from above and capture the finished piece from the air.
A Beach Becomes the Perfect Canvas
For Saranza, Messi was the obvious choice.
He said he chose the Argentine captain because he was inspired by the FIFA World Cup, where Messi’s performances and leadership left a lasting impression on football fans around the world. The artwork serves as both a tribute to the football icon and a demonstration of how technology can support traditional art.
The portrait, which spans several metres across the beach, required careful planning to ensure the proportions remained accurate when viewed from the sky. After mapping the design with VR, Saranza spent hours carving different layers into the sand before adding shading to create depth and facial details.
Rather than relying solely on ground-level views, he regularly checked his progress using a drone. The aerial perspective allowed him to spot small imperfections and make adjustments before revealing the final artwork.
The combination of VR planning, hand-carving techniques, and drone photography has become one of Saranza’s signature approaches, blending digital tools with natural materials to create temporary works of art that disappear with the tides.
@aljazeeraenglishA Filipino artist has created a giant sand portrait of Lionel Messi on a beach in Tandag, Philippines, ahead of the World Cup. Using sand and virtual reality tools, he produces large-scale artworks in his hometown to showcase his craft before they are washed away by the tide.
From the Pandemic to a New Creative Journey
Before becoming known for his beach art, the 57-year-old worked as a wedding photographer and videographer. Like many people in the events industry, his business came to a sudden halt during the COVID-19 pandemic when celebrations and public gatherings were cancelled.
Instead of stepping away from creativity, Saranza looked for a new artistic outlet. He turned to sand art in 2024, discovering that beaches offered an enormous blank canvas where he could experiment with large-scale portraits and designs.
Looking back on that career change, Saranza said, “Sand art saved me during my worst moment. It started as a refuge during the pandemic, and today it is my way of connecting with the world.”
His work has since grown beyond personal expression. Through his public art projects in Tandag City, Saranza also encourages creativity among young people while promoting recycling initiatives and environmental awareness within the local community.
Although the artwork will eventually disappear as the tide reshapes the beach, the images captured by drone ensure the tribute lives on. For Saranza, each project is another opportunity to combine art, technology, and storytelling in an unexpected setting.
His portrait of Lionel Messi is a reminder that inspiration can come from anywhere—even a football legend, a stretch of coastline, and a handful of sand.
