A Herd of Gentle Giants Soothed my Soul in NYC

I was back in my hometown…NYC. One of my oldest and dearest friends Dottie Sheppard had left the earth in June of 2024, and I was in NYC to celebrate her life with family and friends in September. I had heard about the Great Elephant Migration exhibition coming to NYC. It was recently installed downtown in the meatpacking district. So I decided to check it out. Soon I found myself standing in the midst of these beautiful life-size hand-crafted elephants. Dazed and forlorn, I marveled at the creation, thinking of my buddy Dottie. She was a brilliant artist. She would have loved this installation. Simply magnificent. It felt like she was there with me, as I experienced the majesty of these giant peaceful creatures. My spirits began to lift. Art is healing, and elephants have always been spiritual to me. Dottie was there with me. I could feel her. 

Great Elephant Migration NYC

Coexistence Collective Co-Founders Ruth Ganesh and Tarsh Thekaekara brought the Great Elephant Migration exhibition idea to life. Ganesh is a British activist, while Thekaekara is an India native scientist and elephant researcher. Thekaekara’s wife, Shubhra Nayar designs the elephants. Each sculpture represents an actual wild elephant known to the locals. Created as an anatomically perfect replica, the ears are what distinguishes each gentle giant. 

The elephants are created with lantana camara, an invasive weed that is taking over forests and displacing wildlife. Therefore, it is fitting that this weed, which threatens the elephant’s existence, is being chopped down and utilized to create these works of art. Creating awareness about the perils facing these peaceful creatures offers observers perspective and food for thought. Over one hundred and fifty artists joined forces to create the life-size elephants in South India. Now they are on their journey around the world.

Early Days of the Great Elephant Migration

After beginning in Kochi India in 2019, the exhibition debuted internationally in London in 2021. It then moved to Bangalore India in 2023. The Great Elephant Migration began its U.S. tour in Rhode Island in July 2024. It then continued on to New York City. See below for additional dates, location and details. 

Dodie Kazanjian, founder of the Rhode Island nonprofit Art and Newport, is co-presenting the exhibition with the Meatpacking District Management Association of New York. The New York City installation is also accompanied by two companion solo art exhibitions, one by Hadi Falapishi the other by Michael Turek. These exhibitions are at separate locations – visit the website for dates and locations.

The Great Elephant Migration is on view now in NYC through October 20, 2024. You can see these amazing creations on 9th Avenue, between Gansevoort Plaza and West 15th Street. The exhibition then heads to Miami in December for Art Basel. From there it’s on to Browning, Montana, in May/June 2025. The final planned stop will be Los Angeles later in 2025. Keeping within the theme of conservation, the elephants are transported via 100 electric trucks. The exhibition is free to the public, and all of the elephants are available to purchase.

Visit these websites to find out more – https://thegreatelephantmigration.org/ and  https://www.therealelephant.com/coexsistence-collective

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