This Is Your Last Chance to See the Installation That Captivated Basel This Year

If you missed the installation that took Art Basel by storm this year, there's still time to see it, but you'll have to move fast — it's migrating west later this month.

The Great Elephant Migration, an awe-inspiring installation featuring 100 life-size sculptures of elephants, made an immediate impact at Basel this year not only because of its massive scale and environmentally conscious message, but also because of its reception. While many were inspired, others were a little too enthusiastic — the artwork made international headlines when a couple was caught having loud sex on top of one of the elephants.

Perhaps the overeager couple were staunch environmentalists profoundly moved by the installation's message. The traveling art exhibit, which launched in July 2024, is meant to promote awareness and coexistence between humans and wildlife. Each elephant was handcrafted from lantana camara, an invasive weed that threatens elephant habitats. The use of the weed in the project is not only symbolic but also a practical method of reducing its impact on elephant habitats.

The 200 Indigenous artisans who worked on the piece are members of the Real Elephant Collective, a sustainable, community-owned enterprise comprising artisans from India's Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. It took the artists more than five years to create the detailed sculptures of the elephants.

The herd arrived in Miami Beach between 35th and 36th streets and quickly became one of Basel's most-visited exhibits, generating plenty of buzz and even some brand collaborations. Italian perfume house Xerjoff created a signature scent inspired by the piece, titled "Coexistence." Part of its proceeds go to the Great Elephant Migration project.
After Basel, part of the herd migrated to two South Florida Four Seasons properties — three are on display at the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Fort Lauderdale, while another four are currently housed at the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach. The former are on display at the property's Terrace Gardens, which are open to the public.

"Our Terrace Gardens provide the perfect setting for these sculptures, offering guests and visitors a unique opportunity to connect with this inspiring initiative," says general manager Mali Carow.

The four elephants at the Palm Beach property are on display at the property's Resort Garden, "where their presence not only enhances the natural beauty of our surroundings but also inspires meaningful conversations about conservation and coexistence," says general manager Mazen Saleh.

Beyond its aesthetic virtues, the installation also doubles as a fundraiser designed to raise millions of dollars for projects that serve its mission worldwide. The project has partnered with several conservation-focused NGOs, such as Indigenous Led, Lion Guardians, and Coexistence Consortium. The campaign has also formed a group called the Matriarchy as a nod to the matriarchal structures elephants adopt in the wild. The collective, comprising influential women like Susan Sarandon and Cher, aims to amplify the installation's message across a variety of industries.

As part of those fundraising efforts, each elephant is available for purchase. The sculptures range in price from $8,000 to upwards of $22,000 for the largest. More than $2 million has been raised in such sales.

The elephants' migration began in Rhode Island and continued to New York City before stopping in South Florida, where the sculptures be on display at the aforementioned properties through March 18. Next, the herd will make its way west with stops in Texas, Montana, Wyoming, and California. In alignment with the project's mission, the transportation journey will be carbon-neutral — each elephant will be towed by its own electric truck adorned with lorry art. The exhibit's journey across the country's many vistas symbolizes the experience of migratory animals in a human-dominated world.

The Great Elephant Migration. On display through Tuesday, March 18, at the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Fort Lauderdale, 525 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; fourseasons.com; and the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach, 2800 S. Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach; fourseasons.com.