Throughout my career as a bronze artist, I have been drawn to the great icons of African wildlife. Yet this focus often leaves aside other remarkable animals such as the Waterbuck, Gemsbok, and Grant’s Gazelle. For some time, I had considered sculpting either a Waterbuck or a Gemsbok. In the end, the Gemsbok won out – not only for its imposing presence, but for the challenge it presented with its striking facial markings and the long, elegant horns borne by both male and female.
The piece you see here is a work of imagination, though one firmly rooted in the realities of the bush. I chose to depict a dramatic encounter between a Gemsbok and a pack of African Hunting Dogs. While some might assume the dogs would prevail, I believe the opposite: the Gemsbok is pugnacious and unlikely to flee, instead standing its ground and defending itself with lethal force. Wild dogs are intelligent hunters, acutely aware that even a minor injury could be fatal in the constant struggle to feed and compete within the pack. In my view, they would only attack a Gemsbok if it were already weakened, injured or diseased. Otherwise, they would test it, find it capable of a fight, and withdraw.
This interplay between predator and prey – strength meeting strategy, courage matched by caution – was what I wanted to capture in bronze. The sculpture is titled ‘He Who Fights and Runs Away Lives to Fight Another Day’, reflecting the timeless balance of survival in the wild.
