With the Weight of Each Step, 2018-2019
Tomorrow’s Tigers (WWF & Artwise)
Hand-knotted, hand-spun, hand-dyed natural wool
220x100cm
Limited edition of 10 plus one artist’s proof
Courtesy of the artist and Pace Gallery

Photography: Courtesy World Wildlife Foundation

Tomorrow’s Tigers is a major new fundraising project devised and curated by Artwise, featuring specially commissioned, limited edition art rugs by 10 internationally renowned artists. The project has been created to raise awareness and funds in support of the TX2 goal – a global commitment to double tiger numbers in the wild by 2022. The rugs will be on show and available to purchase from a selling exhibition at Sotheby’s, London from 29th January 2019 and from www.wwf.org.uk/tomorrowstigers

Taking inspiration from the fabled Tibetan tiger rug and the splendor of tigers in the wild, each artist has approached the project with their own vision of what a tiger rug could be, as well as an individual response to the plight of tigers in the wild. Maya Lins With the Weight of Each Step uses a pile that has been sanded and ironed to soften and loosen the tips to give an uneven top to the pile. The paw print areas are cut to different levels to show the differing levels of pressure in a tiger’s gait.

At the beginning of the 20th century, experts suggest there may have been 100,000 tigers in the wild. Today, the global population has shrunk by over 95 per cent, with approximately 3,900 tigers remaining in the wild. This is the shocking legacy of threats including rampant poaching and habitat loss which, if not tackled, could mean tigers would head towards extinction. WWF has been at the forefront of TX2 – driving ambitious and innovative conservation efforts that aim to turn back the decline and double the number of tigers in the wild by 2022: the next Chinese ‘Year of the Tiger’.

For the first time in a century, the global number of tigers in the wild has stopped declining and may even be on the rise. Success achieved in South Asia and Far East Russia are an exemplar of what can be achieved with a combination of sustained funding and political commitment. In Nepal, with the aid of innovative conservation tools and approaches, wild tiger numbers have almost doubled in less than a decade. Recent studies even conclude that selected tiger sites across Asia have the potential to triple, given optimal conditions.

These heartening gains provide a beacon of hope and proof that the aims of TX2 are within reach. WWF invites you to support Tomorrow’s Tigers in their goal of generating £1 million from the sale of these stunning and highly collectable art rugs to sustain this vital conservation work.