Image by Adam Bannister
The destiny of the elephant is entirely in one person's hands, the president of China.
Andrea Costra (Wildleaks: The Ivory Game)
In the Palm of the Dragon
Unique Bronze
LHW 1000mm 310mm 250mm
SOLD
END OF IVORY
Christie's, Los Angeles
Group Show
Opens: 10am Wednesday 23 October
23rd -25th October 2019
336 North Camden Drive in Beverly Hills
Current catalogue here: davidshepherd.org/end-of-ivory-catalogue
In dedication to the legacy of elephant conservation that David Shepherd pioneered, the passion and focus of this noble cause to defend the honour of these gentle giants continues. Following the success of the Christies show in 2017, the ambassador artists of the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation will be collaborating to create another powerful body of work.
As one of the largest black markets for illegal ivory being smuggled and sold under the guise of an annual legal quota, the decision to ban all Ivory trade completely will have the potential ripple effect to greatly hinder any immediate movement of ivory stockpiles throughout China. This will, in turn, assist elephant populations to recover as poaching becomes riskier for syndicates to capitalise on.
Matriarch
Unique Bronze
LHW 200mm 225mm 160mm
AVAILABLE
Times are tough for the ancient mothers of the savannah. Poaching, climate change, habitat loss, human confrontation and development and have all made the future of elephant generations more precarious. These are however the tusked symbols of wisdom, patience and resilience. As long as we make space for them, the next generation will be there.
Image by Adam Bannister
Remover of Obstacles
Unique Bronze
LHW 200mm 200mm 160mm
SOLD
The ancient icon of Ganesha has been re-imagined to respond to the immediate threat the ivory trade has on the elephant species. Multiple limbs suggest different facets of the oppression that is apparent in the 21st Century. The right-hand, as in the ancient pose still holds an axe, to cut off bonds of attachment, whilst the left holds a bolt cutter, to liberate captive and abused animals. The lower right-hand gestures for peace and the poachers to stop, whilst the lower-left palm offers the broken tusk as a token of the unnecessary sacrifices elephants have made to our superficial materialism. The ladder signifies the endless desire of men as it rises out of the strewn tusks of past generations. A relic of a future time, the remover of obstacles will prevail and inspire.
Egg Series
Unique Bronze
LHW 180mm 250mm 160mm
AVAILABLE
Selected bronze works
