An Elephant Never Forgets...Sculptures Like These!

10/10/2011

Copenhagen, Denmark

This summer, Dan and I were fortunate enough to see one of the largest outdoor art exhibitions ever held in Copenhagen, Denmark! The exhibition consisted of 102 baby elephants, cast in fiberglass, decorating the cityscape and providing another attraction for us! It was wonderful treat walking among the countless abandoned bicycles and quiet canals that morning.

Like Wings in the City, Elephant Parade Copenhagen gave selected Danish artists and designers the opportunity to work on a new and entirely different canvas: a life-size fiberglass baby elephant!

In addition to raising funds for the conservation of the Asian elephant, Elephant Parade Copenhagen showcased the talents of these Danish artists and designers. The fiberglass elephants allowed for multiple forms of artistic expression and, with its flowing lines and charismatic energy, represent an interesting and organic canvas.

Mosha the World at your Feet by Jane Veveris Callan

Elephant Meeting Place by Hans Kuijs

Human within Elephant by Kamol Tamseewan

Elephant Road by Steen Larsen

I stand with Fragile Beauty by Jose van Weert in Copenhagen's Botanical Garden.

Even his Royal Highness, the Prince Consort of Denmark, was a participating artist, designing his own elephant to help raise funds for the endangered Asian elephant!

Last month, the elephants were auctioned off by Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers, with the proceeds going to the preservation of the Asian elephant.

Have a great beginning to your week!
Mary

25 Comments

Tricia @ SweeterThanSweets link

10/9/2011 09:04:27 pm

Thanks for sharing these with us. I love the Mosha the World at Your Feet and Elephant Road!!

Katrina link

10/9/2011 09:48:23 pm

Oh wow this reminds me of travelling around and finding these cows in Shepparton
http://www.quickbookshelp.com.au/art_cows.htm

sisterbatik link

10/9/2011 10:43:02 pm

I like the green one and the mural one - so wonderful!

Trina (Trina's Clay Creations) link

10/9/2011 11:09:19 pm

Love all the elephants Mary, thanks so much for sharing! I especially love the one you're standing next to.

Cindy D link

10/10/2011 12:16:40 am

Love these! Chicago had the Cow Parade and Cincinnati had the Big Pig Gig, similar idea with lots of sculptures around the city painted by different artists. But elephants are the best.

I love the one with the pink striped nose, particularly the eye. And the one with the crocodile. Ok, I like them all. :D I would like one for my house.

simona link

10/10/2011 12:19:30 am

These are so cool! I think these statues are such a great idea, many cities seem to have different themes. Had never seen the elephants yet!

Ann Payne link

10/10/2011 04:05:13 am

The Steen Larsen one is doing it for me! There was a similar project in New Orleans done with fish.

Samantha Read link

10/10/2011 05:11:17 am

Wow! Wow! Wow! Just love all the efalumps :o) Sam x

Nordljus link

10/10/2011 05:16:05 am

These are gorgeous! They look so sweet and I love the happy colours. We had something similar for a several years here in Zürich, with lions, benches, teddy bears. My painting teacher did a few as well each year. Lots of work, but they looked fabulous.

Thanks for your visit and comment on my blog, and I'm happy to be in BYW too :)

Deborah Velásquez link

10/10/2011 07:51:07 am

Can't pick a favorite, they are all beautiful.
I see the sketchbook project button on your blog. Are you participating? I did last year and had a great time with it. Still debating whether to do it again this year. Not sure how thin to spread myself. Just started Illustration Friday!

So nice of you to stop by my blog and comment. Nice to meet a fellow BYW'er. So looking forward to tuning up my blog. This all so new to me, but the course should be a fabulous four weeks of learning. Holly and her team are awesome.

Glad you liked the word path piece. It is funny, I took forever trying to decide what to use the erase technique on....words or silence! I like how it turned out.

Happy blogging!

Cherie Lenore link

10/11/2011 01:32:05 am

Each elephant is inspiring. Amazing how different they are. Thanks so much for sharing this!!!

Cherie Lenore link

10/11/2011 01:33:12 am

So inspiring. Each one is so different. Thanks so much for sharing!!

Kerry - Kid Giddy link

10/12/2011 05:38:23 am

Wow - these are absolutely beautiful!!! Here in Maine, they had lighthouses. They are still scattered around the state! In upstate New York, they had Cats in Catskill, and I think it was in Massachusetts, that they had teapots! All of them larger than life! It is amazing art! -kg

Kimberly Jones link

10/12/2011 06:38:42 am

These are incredible! I have a favorite aunt who has loved elephants. She has quite a collection of them. None this size though. These are so beautiful!

Amber Baxley link

10/12/2011 09:35:58 am

Wow those are so cool!

Jennifer link

10/12/2011 10:22:12 am

Hi Mary - I'm over visiting from BYW.

I've never seen anything like these before. Elephant Meeting Place is my favorite. The colors are just wonderful. Great pics!

Michelle link

10/13/2011 04:09:22 am

Hi Mary! How fun are those elephants! I think I like Elephant Meeting Place the best, love all the colors in it! Glad I saw the sketchbook project too, I completely forgot about it. I'll have to check it out. Thanks for stopping by my blog, see you in class!

Beatrice link

10/13/2011 04:25:18 am

Hi Mary. Thanks for stopping by my blog. You have a lovely blog. I absolutely had to comment for this post, since the elephants remind me of Berlin a couple of years back when they had a similar exhibit. So beautiful and bright. Gorgeous.

Wahkuna link

10/13/2011 12:55:12 pm

This is awesome! I love all of the different artistic styles on these elephants! That must have been an amazing exhibit to see in person! Wow, thanks for sharing! And it's very nice to meet you too, through BYW! Thanks for visiting my blog! :-)

Carol Van Zandt link

10/15/2011 12:15:28 pm

I LOVE these elephants! I can't wait to Pinterest!

Lauren link

10/16/2011 09:54:20 am

Hi Mary! Popping in from BYW, and I just love these elephants! Love all your suggestions, actually...I'll check back often!

Christy link

10/16/2011 10:13:51 am

Stopping by from BYW. I love these elephants! The Steen Larsen is my favorite.

Emily Smith Pearce link

10/16/2011 05:33:28 pm

This is so cool. Congratulations for being invited. We have a cow project around Hannover (Germany) that seems to be along the same lines. There is a huge Nikki de St. Phalle influence here, as the city commissioned her to do lots of artwork.