I Am (Rabbit) Woman

Women show incredible resilience. Over the years, women have managed to rise up time and time again, achieving incredible things and changing the world for the better. These stories are seen all around the world but often they are not heard. Women have come so far over the years, and Gillie and Marc want to celebrate this by telling all the stories of women's progress through Rabbitwomen, their own hero for gender equality in their exhibition I am (Rabbit) Woman.

Collaborating with many women's groups, the stories of women will be heard in an authentic voice, with the truth being celebrated in a collection of emotive paintings and sculptures with Rabbitwoman as the heroine in each. This incredible exhibition will showcase how far the women's movement has come, travelling across 20 countries including India and Saudi Arabia, two countries where women have the least amount of emancipation. This makes this the most important exhibition for women that there has ever been. Telling these stories, especially in countries where women have very little freedom, is a momentous step toward reaching equality.

In the past decade the movement for gender equality has moved forward by leaps and bounds. There are many wonderful examples of the success within the movement: The Istanbul Convention in 2011 led to Europe focusing on the issue of domestic violence as gender based violence, the Hollaback movement, working to end street harassment, the founding of the Red Umbrella Fund in 2012, the first global fund led by and working for the rights and safety of sex workers, Malala Yousafzai winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for her activism for girls’ education in Pakistan. These are just a few of the many successes, all of them bringing the world closer to a more equal society.

Launching in New York City, I am (Rabbit) Woman will spread the language of women's success. Women have come a long way, fighting their way to be recognised as human beings and as equals, a reality that has still not been realised today. By telling these stories, it will help people to understand the struggle women have gone through to be heard, it will inspire other women to stand up and join the fight, and it will help to break down prejudices in men. Only by listening to each other's stories can there be progress.

Rabbitwoman and Dogman

Rabbitwoman is a half of Gillie and Marc’s most iconic duo, Rabbitwoman and Dogman. Together they tell the autobiographical tale of two opposites coming together to become best friends and soul mates. As unlikely animal kingdom companions, the Rabbit and the Dog stand for diversity and acceptance through love. Rabbitwoman has been chosen to tell the stories of women because she is also the embodiment of  all women as well as an individual. She is often out on many different adventures with Dogman, taking the lead in many of these, and living her life the way that she wants it, not how its has been dictated for her. She stands for what women can accomplish when they are confident within themselves and have the unfailing support from those they love. 

The other half of the Rabbitwoman duo is Dogman, and he should not be forgotten in this story. Dogman recognises that this is the time to take a step back to support Rabbitwoman and to celebrate her. This role is incredibly important for all men to play, staying by the women in their lives side, giving her the love and support she deserves and cheering her on to do the best that she can.

Statues for Equality

This exhibition is not all that Gillie and Marc have planned for the fight for gender equality. They will also be launching the biggest public sculpture project for women in the world.

Woman make a huge contribution to every aspect of humanity, be it in art, science, entertainment, or culture, but often it's not really recognised. In New York City, only 3% of the statues of historical figures are of women. Statues are a clear representation to the public of recognition and outstanding merit, something that far more of the fearless women leaders deserve. This is a far larger percentage than 3%. This disparity in the sculptures of the city proves how serious this issue is, something needs to change.

Gillie and Marc are determined to turn this statistic around with their latest public art project, ‘Statues for Equality'. They are teaming up with ten prominent women who have made a huge contribution to the word in various ways, to create a beautiful bronze sculpture of them to be erected around New York City. These women include Oprah Winfrey, Cate Blanchett, Jane Goodall, Tracy Dyson, Tererai Trent, and many others. The addition of these sculptures will raise the statistics from a dismal 3% to 10%!

With these two exhibitions, I am Rabbit Woman and Statues for Equality, the stories and the success of women will start to be heard around the world. With that will come understanding and recognition, and with that, perceptions and actions will begin to change.

Aims

By spreading these stories of women, Gillie and Marc hope to inspire a greater awareness which will eventually lead to effective change. By helping people to understand the struggle, they hope this can open the doors for women in all aspects of life.

Here are some of Gillie and Marc's long term goals for equality:

1. To open the doors for women to step into the roles of the CEO with the same ease as men.
2. To promote love and understanding to reduce workplace discrimination for women.
3. To open the doors of the US Senate for more women to get their chance to serve and represent.
4. To finally allow the first female mayor to step forward in NYC and all across the world.
5. To remove disparity to support equal pay for men and women.
6. To encourage more companies to adopt a gender equality policy.
7. To open the doors for access to education for both boys and girls.
8. To encourage freedom of expression for all, and to allow this to happen without persecution.

About Gillie and Marc

Gillie and Marc have been called the most successful and prolific creators of public art in New York's History by the New York Times. Creating some of the world's most innovative public sculptures, Gillie and Marc are re-designing what public art should be, spreading messages of love, equality, and conservation around the world. Their highly-coveted sculptures and paintings can be seen in art galleries and public sites in over 250 cities. They're Archibald Prize Finalists and have won the Chianciano Biennale in Italy, among other notable awards and accolades.

Referred to by the media as "the world's most loving artists", this artistic duo has worked side by side for 27 years, creating art as one and spreading the love they have for each other with the world. The artists first met on a film shoot in Hong Kong and 7-days later they ran away to Nepal to get married on the foothills of Mount Everest. They've been inseparable ever since.

The artists are best known for their beloved characters, Rabbitwoman and Dogman, who tell the autobiographical tale of two opposites coming together to become best friends and soul mates. As unlikely animal kingdom companions, the Rabbit and the Dog stand for diversity and acceptance through love. Gillie and Marc believe art is a powerful platform for change. Their art is multi-disciplinary, paying homage to the importance of togetherness, as well as the magnificence of the natural world, and the necessity of preserving it – for we are it, and it is us.

Among the most renowned artistic duos working today, Gillie and Marc are also passionate activists, who use their work to raise critical awareness for the causes and charities they support.