A herd of 100 life-size elephant sculptures, handcrafted by 200 Indigenous artisans from South India, has arrived at Art Basel Miami Beach as part of "The Great Elephant Migration," a global public art and conservation project. The sculptures are made from lantana camara, an invasive plant, and are modeled after individual elephants from the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Organized by Ruth Ganesh and the Coexistence Collective, the installation aims to promote coexistence between humans and wildlife, with proceeds from sculpture sales funding 22 conservation NGOs. The elephants have toured the U.S., appearing in Newport, Rhode Island, Manhattan's Meatpacking District, and now Miami Beach, where they have drawn enthusiastic crowds—and even a reported incident of a couple having sex on one of the sculptures, prompting police patrols.
The project matters because it merges public art with tangible conservation impact, using the visual spectacle of life-size elephant sculptures to raise awareness about human-wildlife coexistence and invasive species. By employing Indigenous artisans and funding grassroots NGOs, it also highlights the economic and cultural value of traditional craftsmanship and local ecological knowledge. The migration of the herd across the U.S. demonstrates how art can engage broad audiences on environmental issues while generating significant funding—250 sculptures have already sold, with prices ranging from $8,000 to $22,000—and sparking conversations about conservation, community, and the role of art in social change.