Wouldn’t you like a little piece of a love story in your home? Gillie and Marc’s artworks tell two
love stories: one of their love for the planet and its endangered species, and another about their love for each other. They express both through public monumental art and smaller sculptures.
Gillie and Marc are partners in life and in art, working out of a studio in Botany, Sydney. They are significant and prolific artists with art located in 250 cities (Gillie and Marc). Some of their most well-known artworks are public sculptures representing endangered species.
It was important for these two artists to create sculptures one could see, touch, interact with. Their aim is to give people an interface with these animals like Gillie and Marc themselves had in Africa (Gillie and Marc).
Gillie grew up in Africa and was strongly affected by the beautiful creatures she got to see and draw in Zambia. The heart wrenching moment of seeing a defenceless elephant shot as a young child set her on a life journey of striving to protect animals. Marc became similarly affected after seeing chimpanzees in Tanzania.
For these artists, the next best thing to seeing these animals - their expressions, their soulfulness, and liveliness- is to come face to face with one in statue form. One of their most famous conservation advocacy works, The Last Three, is a bronze sculpture in San Antonio
Zoo depicting the last three Northern White Rhinos (Gillie and Marc). Northern White Rhinos became endangered after significant hunting and poaching for their ivory (Gillie and Marc). This artwork was first installed in 2018 at Astor Place in New York City. Now there are only two Northern White Rhinos left- both females. The species is considered effectively extinct (Anderson 2021).
Contrasting to the painful stories of endangered wildlife, a significant part of Gillie and Marc’s work is dedicated to the autobiographical characters of Rabbitwoman and Dogman. The unlikely romantic pairing of a dog and a rabbit reflects how unlikely and somewhat bizarre Gillie and Marc’s own love story is (Mitchell 2016). They met in Hong Kong in 1990 on a film set and had an instant connection. Marc is Jewish, while Gillie is Catholic. Gillie was from England while Marc was from Melbourne.
For all they did not have in common, this eccentric couple found themselves deeply entrenched in each other, with commonalities in their artistic practices and value of environmental conservation. The word they use to describe each other is “soul mate” capturing the deep sense of connection and commitment they feel towards each other (Gillie and Marc). Though they were both engaged to different people at the time, they eloped to
Nepal and got married after knowing each other for just a week (Mitchell 2016).
Dogman and Rabbitwoman can be spotted
around the globe in public spaces, art galleries, and in private homes. They’re often depicted together and are usually doing some activity reflecting the adventurous or loving nature of Gillie and Marc themselves. Riding a flamingo floatie in Surfer’s Paradise, riding a tandem bike in London, or having coffee in Melbourne, there are many places to spot Gillie and Marc’s iconic duo for yourself (Gillie and Marc).
But nothing compares to the chance to have a piece of this couple’s history in your own
home or office. Swan Deverell is auctioning a set of Dogman and Rabbitwoman statues in our Australian and International Art auction this May. This is an opportunity not just to get an intriguing and conversation-starting piece of art, but to have a piece of art with two beautiful, intertwined stories.
Article by Isabella Trope