PUBLIC ART MEETS WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AT JAGUAR PARADE NYC 2022
By Oyiza Adaba | Africa-Related New York
inspiration behind it
"All fauna, the forest and the people who live in it have the right to life. May it be green, alive, and free!" The sculpture is a collaboration between Rui Machado, an amazon artist, and Liv Mourão, a Brazilian artist based in NYC. Together, they tell through the design the life of the people, fauna, and flora of Amazon and its connection with the jaguars.
Jaguar Parade NYC 2022
If you spot a few brightly painted Jaguar sculptures in the city, you are in for a treat at The Jaguar Parade NYC 2022. This is where art and socio-environmental awareness come together, in what is described by the luxury carmaker as ‘the wildest open-air art exhibition’. Several artists and celebrities have been selected to collaborate on creating jaguar sculptures that carry the message of conserving America’s biggest cat.
“Protecting jaguars means protecting the landscapes they depend upon… as the impacts of the current crisis profoundly re-shape our lives and lead us to rethink our relationship with nature…”
- Jaguar
From September 7 to October 5 , dozens of jaguar sculptures painted by great artists will be exhibited at iconic landmarks throughout New York City, such as Central Park Zoo, UN Plaza, Tavern On The Green, Times Square, Fifth Avenue, as well as some private locations. Some sculptures are even part of the ongoing 77th United Nations General Assembly.
The Jaguar is listed as “Near Threatened” on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Jaguars currently inhabit 18 Latin American countries, from Mexico to Argentina, but have been eradicated from nearly half of their historic lands.
The campaign is supported by global conservation organizations including United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Panthera, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and The Lion’s Share.
It will culminate in an online art auction on Oct 5- 20, with 100% of the net proceeds going to jaguar conservation efforts.
Jaguar Parade’s first edition took place in Sao Paulo from October to November 2019, and at that time, was known as the largest open air urban art exhibition in the history of the city.
Some of this year’s participating sculptors and artists include the below.
Love Jaguar By: Poll Ce + Alexander Milov (New York - United States)
FOREST GUARDIANS By Sophie Reitermann (São Paulo - Brazil)
I Love Myself By: Pedro Silva (New York - United States)
DELICATE By: Ying (New York - United States)