The Project

Creation of three artworks around the theme of ‘Elephant Solidarity’ especially designed in support of Elephant Family, the UK’s biggest funder for the endangered Asian Elephant. Massive habitat loss has caused their numbers to plummet by 90% in the past 100 years, earning them an unwanted place on the IUCN red list. Elephant Family exists to save this iconic animal from extinction in the wild, along with tigers, orangutans and all the other animals who share their habitat (for more information, please visit: www.elephantfamily.org).

Artistic Direction

All three artworks feature the Asian Elephant through three different types of relationships – a couple displaying love and tenderness, a calf guided by his mother and aunt and a group of young males. All highlight the support and care the same members of a family or group show to each other as an inspiration to our own support to the fate of the Asian elephant. The artworks use three of Elephant Family’s corporate colours - green, brown and pink for visual association.

Auction & Exhibition

Elephant Family were Deutsche Bank’s charity of the year in 2013 and the artworks contributed to an online art auction which took place in October 2013 and went to the entire bank – over 10,000 people, as well as a selection of collectors and buyers with all proceeds going to Elephant Family. The artworks were also selected for an exhibition at Winchester House, Deutsche Bank's main building in the City of London at the end of October 2013. All three artworks sold at the auction to private collectors in different countries across the world.

Deutsche Bank is a pioneer of 'art in the workplace' and was the main sponsor of the Frieze Art Fair for the tenth year runnning (London 17-20 October 2013, New York 9-12 May 2014).
Elephant Family was Deutsche Bank’s Charity of the Year in 2013, Winner of two Guinness World Records for ‘The Fabergé Big Egg Hunt’ 2012 (Guinness World Records), Winner of Most Innovative Fundraising Organisation 2011 (Third Sector Excellence Awards), Winner of Cultural Attraction of the Year 2010 (London Lifestyle Awards).

The Artworks

Togetherness

Two old elephants displaying love and tenderness. Elephants greet each other by entwining their trunks and “kissing” by placing their trunks in each other’s mouths. The artwork enhances the masculine and feminine part of each elephant the male being executed with black/granite pencil and very detailed for a stronger, more masculine look. The female elephant embraces him warmly with her softer, more feminine nature accented with pink. The pink shade used is a cinnamon pink as a wink to the Asian origin of the two elephants as this spice is mainly cultivated in this part of the world.

Caring for Baby Ele.jpg — Caring for Baby Ele

Elephant calves are cared for by their mothers and aunts who are in almost constant affectionate contact with the young, offering guidance and assistance. Calves learn which plants are edible and ways to acquire them, by watching their elders. The artwork magnifies this particular relationship the baby elephant being the centre of attention in the middle in colour. It contrasts with the two adult females surrounding the calf and guiding it with their long trunks. The females are shown in dark granite colour in the whole background to reinforce the feeling of protection around the baby elephant.

Brotherhood

Adult male elephants are solitary in nature but may associate with other bulls in small, unstable groups. The artwork expresses this dual nature as each elephant has been drawn in a different shade of grey reflective of their individuality and unity at the same time. Ten elephants are shown in total (some are well hidden!) reminding us there are at least ten African elephants for every Asian elephant. They are walking on a path done in a lighter shade of grey to draw attention to the importance of the corridors Elephant Family aims to secure to save the Asian Elephant.