Andries Botha et « human elephant »: sculpture et écologie

Abstract

The South African sculptor Andries Botha is known for his installations, for his bronzes of historical personalities and, with the establishment in 2006 of the foundation “Human Elephant” for his “Lifesize Elephant” sculptures made from recycled materials. Displayed in Europe and America in unusual settings, these elephants are the messengers of Botha’s engagement on behalf of ecology and the environment. Although “environmental art” they are also museum-like. In Durban, the three elephants placed at Warwick Junction elicited strong reactions up to and including their own destruction. The period between their vandalization in 2010 and restoration in 2015 saw something remarkable: the elephants were taken care of and brought back to “life.” This ex cathedra dimension had escaped completely not only the artist but also a recent scholarly publication devoted to the event. Because of conformism? Because of academic patterns of thought? Because of preconceived ideas on the official “copyright holders” of art? The event in Durban is a magnificent example of the public’s spontaneous and creative interaction with a seemingly abandoned work, its truly “humane” appropriation and the putting into social practice of its ecological aim.