Tusk Gorilla Trail at Covent Garden 

 

Have you spotted the gorillas around Covent Garden? The Tusk Gorilla Trail at Covent Garden sees 15 individually designed life-sized gorilla sculptures placed around the historic streets of Covent Garden. This interactive sculpture exhibition supports and promotes African wildlife conservation.

African gorillas remain critically endangered across both Western and Eastern species. Each sculpture will highlight the beauty of gorillas, threats to their existence and the people and solutions working for their survival.

Tusk, an African conservation charity, and curator Chris Westbrook from Westbrook Gallery have bought together talented artists and collaborators to design the gorillas. They are from the worlds of art, design, film, photography and comedy and include several Tusk ambassadors. Internationally recognised artists designing gorillas include The Rolling Stones guitarist and Tusk ambassador Ronnie Wood and wife Sally Wood; English actor and comedian John Cleese and wife Jen Cleese; British artist Chila Burman; British photographer Rankin; printmaker Adam Dant; Tusk ambassador and actress Jemma Powell; restaurant Petersham Nurseries in partnership with British artist Hayden Keys; former army helicopter pilot, wildlife artist and Tusk ambassador Hannah Shergold as well as artists Barnaby Barford, Mr Jago, Gordon Cheung, Mauro Perucchetti, Charles Uzzell Edwards and Nick Gentry.

The gorillas were unveiled on Friday 14th July with Ronnie Wood and Rankin in attendance. Pickfords, the UK’s leading name in home moving and storage, are proud sponsors and have transported all sculptures safely to their retrospective spots throughout the historic Piazza and streets of London’s Covent Garden and Seven Dials. We loved the Cleese’s gorilla which features the kid in skyline, Sally Wood’s pink with silver back and Rankin’s Flowerilla gorilla.

This immersive art installation is available to the public from 15 July to October 2023. The gorillas can be found using an easy-to-use map which can be downloaded or viewed digitally via the Covent Garden website. Whilst walking around Covent Garden’s cobbled streets you’ll spot brands such as Apple, Bucherer, Chanel, Charlotte Tilbury, Ganni, Glossier, Jo Malone London, Kick Game, Le Labo, Mulberry, Paul Smith, Polo Ralph Lauren and Reformation as well over 75 al fresco dining terraces in some of the area’s most loved restaurants, including Ave Mario, Frenchie, Monmouth Coffee, The Oystermen, SUSHISAMBA, Sticks ‘n’ Sushi, and more.

 

The gorillas sculptures are the third in a series, following the huge success and popularity of the Tusk Rhino Trail in 2018 and the Tusk Lion Trail in 2021. The latter raised over £1.1million and this year Tusk hopes the auction of the gorilla sculptures will exceed the amount so Tusk can continue to support the conservation of threatened species across Africa. Donations are able to be made to Tusk via the QR codes on each Gorilla or via the website.

The installation is a fun interactive experience for the whole family which aims to inspire and encourage people to protect wildlife through the emotional connection we have to art. 

More information about the Tusk Gorilla Trail at Covent Garden can be found in the website: www.coventgarden.london or Instagram @CoventGardenLDN. Or visit https://www.tusk.org

Written by Caitlin Neal