Gillie and Marc met on a photo shoot in Hong Kong. Seven days later, they ran away to Nepal.
British–Australian artists Gillie and Marc don’t tell that story casually. It is the origin point, not just of their marriage, but of a three-decade artistic partnership that has reshaped public art, wildlife activism, and the meaning of creative devotion.
“We recognized courage, kindness, and a deep sense of purpose in each other,” they say. “There was an instant feeling of home.” A week after meeting, they married at the foothills of the Himalayas. “We’ve been inseparable ever since.”
That leap of faith still defines their work. “It taught us to live bravely, trust our instincts, and always choose love over fear,” they explain. “We carry that energy into everything we create.”
For over 30 years, they’ve made art side by side every single day, building monumental public sculptures that fuse love, unity, and wildlife conservation into one shared message.
When they first created Rabbitwoman and Dogman, there was no master plan.
“They began purely as our love story.”
Rabbitwoman and Dogman are not abstract inventions. They are autobiographical. They reflect Gillie and Marc themselves — two different people, two cultures, two faiths, choosing each other.
“Rabbitwoman and Dogman represent two unlikely beings coming together and becoming soulmates despite their differences — just like us,” they say. Gillie is from England. Marc is from Australia. Gillie is Catholic. Marc is Jewish.
“In the wild, a dog would kill a rabbit. But in our world, they fall in love.”
The characters were never designed to become global symbols. “They were never meant to be icons,” they admit. “But people saw themselves in them — outsiders, couples, families, dreamers.”
Over time, Rabbitwoman and Dogman evolved into universal symbols of unity, diversity, and compassion. As hybrids, half human, half wild, they bridge humanity and nature. “Through them, we share a simple truth: we are stronger together, and love is humanity’s greatest superpower.”
Long before their sculptures appeared in New York, wildlife shaped their lives.
“Those moments never leave you.”
Gillie grew up in Zambia surrounded by elephants, lions, and giraffes. At nine years old, she heard a gunshot while on safari and found an elephant killed by a poacher. “Standing before that fallen animal, she made a vow to dedicate her life to protecting wildlife.”
Marc’s path was shaped while working alongside Jane Goodall, observing chimpanzees, “their intelligence, tenderness, and deep social bonds.” “That experience revealed the interconnectedness of all life and humanity’s responsibility to protect it.”
These formative experiences became the foundation of their wildlife conservation art. Their mission is direct: bring endangered animals into public spaces so people can no longer look away.
“In cities like New York, where people may feel far removed from wildlife, we bring endangered animals directly into streets, plazas, and airports so people can meet them eye-to-eye. You don’t have to travel to Africa to feel their presence. They come to you.”
One of their most powerful installations, The Last Three, featured the final northern white rhinos — Sudan, Najin, and Fatu.
“Meeting them in Kenya was life-altering,” they say. “Standing face to face with the last northern white rhinos made extinction real in a way nothing else ever could.”
Then Sudan died, just days after the exhibition opened in New York.
“That moment changed everything. When Sudan passed, the sculpture became a global memorial. A place of mourning. A place of awakening.”
From that point forward, their work shifted from awareness to urgency. Their public art became a vehicle for petitions, donations, and conservation funding, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for wildlife protection.
“It marked the moment we fully committed to giving endangered animals a permanent voice.”
Creating public art in New York carries a unique weight.
“New York speaks to the world,” they say. “It’s intense, diverse, emotional, alive. Millions of people from every background cross paths there daily. To create public art in New York is to communicate globally. It’s deeply humbling.”
In a city known for speed and distraction, their sculptures interrupt. “Public art interrupts routine. It softens people. It invites pause.”
They’ve watched strangers sit quietly beside bronze gorillas. Children hug towering sculptures. Tourists and locals alike stop, reflect, and reconnect.
“Even a single moment, a smile, a child hugging a sculpture, matters. Love spreads quietly. Art helps carry it through busy streets and complicated lives.”
“Our sculptures are not just objects,” they add. “They are meeting places.”
After three decades of building monumental global projects, their answer to longevity is simple. “We always choose each other first.” They communicate constantly. Laugh often. Forgive quickly. And they return to the same foundation that started everything. “We remind ourselves why we started — love.”
They don’t separate life and art. “They’re woven together. Respect, gentleness, and shared purpose keep us grounded, even under pressure.”
British and Australian. Catholic and Jewish. Rabbitwoman and Dogman. Gillie and Marc.
Different origins. One mission.
“We are partners in everything — marriage, creativity, activism.”
And through towering wildlife sculptures, global exhibitions, and deeply personal storytelling, they continue to prove what they have believed from the very beginning:
“We are stronger together. And love is humanity’s greatest superpower.”
