By The Sea, created by orangutans Archie and Kegan from Center For Great Apes, 2021.
Art made by Great Apes? In a gallery?
In 2021, we had the pleasure of working with Zoo Knoxville and the Center for Great Apes to curate an exhibition of artwork created by chimpanzees and orangutans. While a seemingly radical idea, we believe the story (and plight) of the great apes is very important to understand. Because these beings can also feel and enjoy creativity, this provides an opportunity to discuss the similarities we share…
This is an ongoing project. New relationships with sanctuaries across the United States are growing as we continue to explore exhibition and film opportunities that collaborate with these institutions. We believe it is critical to share the story of the great apes and celebrate the institutions that protect and care for these wonderful creatures.
Mwelu (Lu), an adult male chimpanzee from Zoo Knoxville, and Erin sharing friendly gestures.
Humans and chimpanzees share 98.6% of the same DNA.
Exhibition statement from 2021 Installation:
Both species have forward-facing eyes, opposing thumbs that accompany grasping fingers, and the ability to walk upright. Far greater than just the physical similarities, both species have large brains capable of exhibiting great intelligence as well as an incredible emotional range. Chimpanzees form tight social bonds, especially between mothers and children, create tools to assist with eating and express joy by hugging and kissing one another.
Artwork created by chimpanzee, Bubbles, from Center for Great Apes
Over 1,000,000 chimpanzees roamed the tropical rain forests of Africa just a century ago. Now listed as endangered, less than 300,000 exist in the wild because of poaching, the illegal pet trade and habitat loss due to human encroachment. Often, chimpanzees are killed, leaving orphans that are traded and sold around the world.
Thanks to accredited zoos and sanctuaries across the globe, strong conservation efforts and programs exist to protect and manage populations of many species of the animal kingdom, including the great apes - the chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan and bonobo.
In the United States, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and the Species Survival Plan (SSP) work together across the nation in a cooperative effort to promote population growth and ensure the utmost care and conditions for all species.
Included in the daily programs for many species is what’s commonly known as “enrichment”––
an activity created and employed to stimulate and pose a challenge, such as hiding
food and treats throughout an enclosure that requires a search for food, sometimes with a
problem-solving component.
In the case of chimpanzees and other great apes, research has shown that certain individuals
respond to color and enjoy painting as a type of enrichment. Like human artists, each chimpanzee
has a unique reaction and approach to their canvas. While most chimpanzees enjoy using their hands
and feet, occasionally even their lips, some have even learned how to use a paintbrush.
Artwork created by great apes Zoo Knoxville.
Reflecting on the concept of 98.6%, our shared DNA, and the vast number of similarities between humans and chimpanzees, we celebrate our likeness. At the same time, we ponder questions as we explore our creative commonality: Are we really so different? In fact, the comparison of DNA between chimpanzees and humans is higher than that of chimpanzees and gorillas.
Artwork created by one of the great apes from Center for Great Apes
How much DNA do we share with other creatures? Is the creative drive, once thought to be the sole domain of humans, found across the animal world? And what other mysteries about the links between humans and animals remain unsolved? With a constantly changing, growing and evolving relationship between humans and the earth, and one another, our similarities–– and at times a creative commonality–– remain our foundation, a gravitational force that pulls us together, an enduring and unbreakable bond.
Craig Dillenbeck and Erin Durham, Curators
Daisy, a female chimpanzee at Zoo Knoxille holds her canvas.
About the Artists:
This 2021 exhibition features works created by chimpanzees at
Zoo Knoxville,
an AZA-accredited institution in Knoxville, Tennessee that works closely with the SSP.
Their chimpanzees, who happily roam a very large enclosure (one of the best ape enclosures in the U.S.), are offered a
painting enrichment as often as their committed caretakers can provide.
Also included in this exhibition are works created by chimpanzees and orangutans
from Center for Great Apes (CGA),
a secluded sanctuary in Wauchula, Florida that rescues chimpanzees and orangutans from the entertainment
industry, medical labs and the exotic pet trade. The CGA provides a positive, safe and stress-free environment for almost seventy (and growing)
individuals.
If you would like to learn more about the chimpanzees and orangutans from Zoo Knoxville and the CGA, please
read here.
Looking Forward:
We are excited to continue exploring opportunities to work with other sanctuaries and institutions across the U.S. that are open to sharing the story of the great apes through their artwork.
Artwork made by Great Apes in a gallery space.