To raise awareness and funds for the critically endangered gorilla species, public artists Gillie and Marc Schattner have created a massive sculpture of the animal.
Titled King Nyani, the Swahili word for "gorilla", it’s the world’s largest bronze gorilla sculpture and can fit two to three humans just in its hands.
Gillie and Marc have dedicated a large part of their career as artists to bringing attention to the world’s endangered species through their Love The Last project.
The artists get passionately involved in their projects.
King Nyani is based on the head of a family of silverback mountain gorillas that Gille and Marc encountered on a trip to Uganda. They say they were moved to tears watching the gorilla exhibit empathy and kindness as opposed to the “scary” image so often portrayed.
Inspired by the movie scene where King Kong takes a woman in his hand, King Nyani’s hand is open for visitors to sit and interact with him.
Through a partnership with the Hudson Yards-Hell’s Kitchen Alliance and NYC Parks, the sculpture will be on display in Bella Abzug Park for nine months.
