Change the course of history and save lives

Hi, we’re international contemporary artists Gillie and Marc.

Our mission is to make the world’s largest rhino sculpture to save the last, remaining rhinos.

About Us

We’re a husband and wife team who collaborate to create art as one. We’re also Bondi locals and keen conservationists who love bringing accessible, interactive art to everyone.

With a 25-year history of collaboration, our works have received acclaim worldwide and are held in collections both nationally and internationally. Our iconic characters, Rabbitgirl and Dogman, tell our spectacular love story while celebrating the powerful spiritual relationship that can exist between man and animal. Together, we paint, sculpt and photograph with the goal to create fresh, joyful art that celebrates unlikely unions while inspiring us to re-examine the status quo.

Rhinos are going belly up

One rhino is killed every six hours. At this rate, they’ll be extinct in the wild in less than ten years. We, along with the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition and The Australian Rhino Project, want to raise awareness about how vulnerable these magnificent creatures are while also highlighting their beauty. So we’ll be making the world’s biggest rhino sculpture called 'Buried Rhino' for this year’s Sculpture by the Sea exhibition in Bondi.

Sculpture by the Sea is the world’s largest outdoor sculpture exhibition. This year from October 20 to November 5, two million people will make the walk from Sydney’s Bondi Beach to Tamarama to soak in some rays, and take in the art.

The artwork: Buried Rhino

'Buried Rhino' will be an incredible four metres high and span eight metres wide. Both adults and children will have a blast building up the rhino’s giant sand tummy. We’ve chosen to have the rhino in a playful setting where people can interact with it while also showing that they’re currently sinking – if we don’t act now, they might be buried forever. 

The panel of Sculpture by the Sea voted to have 'Buried Rhino' included in this year’s exhibition. Publicity and marketing strategies are already underway. The event planners will approach schools to get involved, with opportunities for conservation talks. It’s going to be a lot of fun and make a HUGE impact in spreading the message of the imminent extinction of rhinos.

The Australian Rhino Project 

The mission of The Australian Rhino Project is to ensure the long term survival of rhinos in the wild.  At The Australian Rhino Project, their mission is to fly 80 African rhinos, 11,000 kms from South Africa to Australia, to establish an insurance population and ensure the survival of the species. They need your support before it's too late. 

The Black and White rhinoceros of Africa are under severe threat and potentially on the verge of extinction in their wild habitat due to excessive poaching, driven by a burgeoning market for rhino horn in China and Vietnam. 

Once conditions permit, the rhinos will be reintroduced back to their natural habitat in South Africa. The Australian Rhino Project believes rhinos must be available to the world in the wild, not only in captivity. The first rhinos have been identified and The Australian Rhino Project will begin relocating rhinos to Australia later this year.

Our past work

The plight of the rhinos is an issue very close to our hearts. We’ve created various critically-acclaimed rhino sculptures before including public art sculptures: 'Black Rhinos' at Dubbo Zoo and 'Run For Your Lives' in Melbourne’s Federation Square.

Image above: 'The Rhino's Flight for Freedom' 60 cm x 75 cm x 13 cm (H*L*W) - Bronze Sculpture

Reward Incentives

We’ve set up incredible reward incentives that are a real bang for your buck. If you’ve ever needed an excuse to treat yourself to our art, now is the time. You’ll be changing the course of history and rescuing rhinos! 

Our biggest pledge of $5,000 will receive an exclusive bronze sculpture titled  'The Rhino's Flight for Freedom' 60 cm x 75 cm x 13 cm (H*L*W). See above image. We’ve made 15 limited editions of  'The Rhino's Flight for Freedom' and will donate 20% of the proceeds directly to The Australian Rhino Project. The rest of the money will be used to fund the sculpture 'Buried Rhino'.

'The Rhino's Flight for Freedom' aims to raise awareness and change the course of nature. If the rope can defy gravity, anything is possible. There’s still a chance for rhinos to escape for their freedom. But they need your help.

The overall cost to make 'Buried Rhino' is $68,500. Our aim is to crowdfund $20,000 through Pozible. Sculpture by the Sea receives Catalyst Funding from the Federal Ministry of the Arts which has been awarded to us in the amount of $10,000 towards the sculpture.  We are hoping to raise more to cover the remainder $38,500 via Pozible and other avenues.

Cost Breakdown

Building/Fabrication:                       $33,000 (includes materials such as fibreglass and an internal steel structure)

Design/concept/marketing:            $15,000

Cost of making rewards:                 $15,000

Engineering:                                      $1,500

Site costs for install:                         $1,000

Site costs for de-install:                   $1,000

Pozible/Admin fees:                        $1,000 (approximate. Pozible takes 5% off all fees, and 2.5% charge on credit cards. 

                                                           We’ve also hired an administration assistant to help us set up and manage the Pozible page)

Packing and freight:                         $1,000 (approximate costs of hiring a packer to send out rewards and shipping costs) 

Sub Total:                                          $68,500

Artist subsidy:                                  $10,000 (Sculpture by the Sea receives Catalyst Funding from the Federal Ministry of the Arts which they have awarded to us)

20% of anything we make over our Pozible target will go towards The Australian Rhino Project. Everything else will help cover the $38,500 out-of-pocket costs for Buried Rhino.

Without your help, we’ll be unable to go ahead with making Buried Rhino. Please join us in raising awareness and spreading this crucial message. So many beautiful and precious lives depend on it.

This will be one of the biggest sculptures we have ever made so the challenges lie in the engineering and creation of such a massive artwork, so it is safe to be in a public space.