Gorillas in Manhattan, and other primate friends

Artist Robin Huffman with her portrait of Frida, one of ten paintings and nineteen photographic portraits of Ape Action Africa residents on exhibit in Rockefeller Center in New York. She calls the primates "magnificent innocents."

Vocalizations played in the background. Shai, like other gorillas in his group at the sanctuary, hums with happy anticipation at feeding time.

Robin with her portrait of Sunshine, an Olive baboon. "Sunshine lit up our lives, with his goofy antics, his laughter and his innocence."

Susan Lutter, Trustee of Ape Action Africa, surrounded by (clockwise from upper left) the gorilla girls Luci, Chickaboo and Afangui, Shai, Diva, Lei Lei, Sherlock and Rocky.

WITNESS, Portraits and Stories from Africa is now open at Gensler in Rockefeller Center and runs through September 16, 2016. If you're in town, it's a show well worth seeing.

​This collection of larger-than-life yet intimate portraits of rescued orphan primates began at Ape Action Africa nearly a decade ago and has taken artist Robin Huffman to towns and villages across the continent, where she would spend 24 hours a day caring for and learning the most delicate nuances of her charges. 

Robin, a frequent volunteer at Ape Action Africa and other primate sanctuaries, has created this collection of paintings, photographs, tales and voices of the primates in order to draw attention to their plight and show the world how close to us these primates are. The exhibition will benefit wildlife conservation in Africa, including AAA.
 
“I want people to SEE them, to look into their eyes, and realize how intelligent, how sentient and how very beautiful and unique these beings are. There is direct engagement, a respect and recognition. We recognize ourelves in them, and – hopefully – traces of our own humanity”  wrote Robin. Witness at Gensler is the first exhibition of these protraits.
 
AAA volunteers and friends from three continents attended the reception and saw first-hand how the images brought the sanctuary to life even for those who have never visited.
 
WITNESS, Portraits and Stories from Africa is on exhibit at Rockefeller Center through September 16, 2016 at the offices of Gensler New York, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 1500, New York, NY 10020. It features portraits of primates from Ape Action Africa and other primate sanctuaries. Viewing is by appointment, contact Robin by email to arrange a visit.

See more about Robin and her artwork at Peaceful Portraits.
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