Bengal Tiger by artists Gillie and Marc
LOCATIONS
EDITION 1 - SINGAPORE - 19 May 2023 - 18 May 2024
Gardens By The Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Dr, Singapore 018953
Visit the sculpture, click for map >
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NAME
Maoz
TITLE
Love The Bengal Tiger
GENDER
Female
AGE
4
FOUND
India
CONSERVATION STATUS
Endangered
This 4-year-old female is an exceptional hunter. Her amazing stripes are perfect to blend in with her surroundings. This is so important now that the humans have come closer. They are expanding their villages and clearing the forest to make way for their own livestock. And the poachers are even worse. They lay traps and are ready with guns to use her body for their medicines. Many of the people understand her beauty and respect her, she just wishes more would.
The tiger is the largest member of the feline family with a great roar that can be heard as far as two miles away. The Bengal tiger may be the most iconic out of all 5 remaining species and is even considered charismatic megafauna, a large animal with such symbolic value and appeal that they are often used to gain popular support. With its beautiful striped coat and majestically strong limbs, it’s not surprising why. It is the national symbol of both India and Bangladesh.
Tigers are independent creatures, only coming together for mating or on special occasions when food is plentiful. Otherwise, each tiger aggressively marks their territory and stay within the confines of their home range. A male will maintain an extra-large home range so he can have exclusive rights to multiple females which overlap with his territory. A mother will give birth to between 1-4 cubs in a den she has found in either tall grass, thick bush, or a nice cave. The cubs are born completely helpless with their eyes and ears closed and covered in a thick woolly fur that they will shed when they are 3 and a half to 5 months old. They suckle for milk until they can start to eat solids at around 2 months old. Once they have reached this milestone the cubs will start to follow their mum out on her hunting trips, learning everything they need to know. At around 2-3, they have learnt everything they can from their mum and will start to look for their own territory, moving out of the family unit and becoming independent.
Tigers are carnivores and stealthily hunt, using their stripes as camouflage, to take down their prey, sometimes as big as an elephant! They very rarely attack humans, tending to avoid them instead. On the off chance they do, it is usually because they are sick and cannot hunt normally or there is not enough food.
All tiger species are endangered and the Bengal tiger has the biggest population of them all, a very sad fact when there are thought to be fewer than 2,500 left. Their biggest threat is poaching. They are killed for their beautiful fur, their bones and body parts for use in traditional Chinese medicines, and by trophy hunters. Their use in medicines has had no proven efficacy. Their habitat has also been badly degraded and fragmented by logging and the ever-encroaching human presence. They also suffer from retaliation from humans who will kill them if they attack their livestock.
HOW TO HELP
Inspired by animals that Gillie and Marc met on their travels, we invite the public to discover and interact with these beautiful creatures up close and personal – this allows audiences to connect, take photographs and share their favourite species with friends and family.
With more exposure comes more awareness and builds on the love we already have for animals around the world. With love comes a greater sense of urgency to create a change and save all endangered animals.
The sculpture will be aligned with the hashtag #LoveTheLast to raise unparalleled awareness about the sculpture’s cause across the globe.
To help protect these animals, please donate to the WWF: https://www.wwf.sg/
PARTNER
For more information, visit https://www.wwf.sg
ABOUT GILLIE AND MARC
Gillie and Marc’s highly coveted public artworks can be found worldwide including in New York, London, Singapore, Shanghai, and Sydney. They are Archibald Prize finalists, won the Chianciano Biennale in Italy, took out the Allens People’s Choice Award in 2016 and 2018 and Kids’ Choice Award in the 2016 Sculpture by the Sea and received the Bayside Arts Festival People's Choice Award in 2019 in Sydney.
The husband-and-wife duo are on a mission to make art for a better tomorrow. They are best known for their beloved characters, Rabbitwoman and Dogman, who tell the autobiographical tale of two opposites coming together as best friends and soul mates.
Gillie and Marc are also passionate eco-warriors and have dedicated their lives to protecting nature.
Gillie grew up with the wildlife in Zambia and Marc studied chimpanzees in Tanzania as a young man. Over time, the artists developed a deep appreciation for all living things and a desire to preserve the magnificence of the natural world.
Gillie and Marc’s mission is to save species from extinction. Through their practices, they are transforming passive audiences into passionate advocates for animal conservation, spreading awareness about endangered species and leading to change.
Their art has raised hundreds of thousands in donations for the many wildlife charities and causes they support through their project Love The Last.
Please follow @gillieandmarcart
If you are interested in buying art related to the Love the Last March, you will also be directly helping real animals in the wild, with 30% of sales going to WWF to continue their fantastic work for animal conservation. Click here to browse art > https://gillieandmarc.com/collections/love-the-last-march
SPONSORED BY
Absolute PR
Be seen and be heard by one of the award winning lifestyle PR agency, absolute PR. Established since 2005 in Singapore, absolute PR envisioned as one of the top PR agencies in Asia has been developing credible content on stories to be told on brands, individuals and causes through an integrated PR strategy that works not only to promote awareness but meaningful awareness that connects, shares and adds value at the end of the day. For the works that we have done and to know more about us, take a look at www.absolutepr.com.sg or follow us on Instagram @aprsg.