Elephants for Peace was envisioned in 2003 by the artist and art historian Rose Marie Gnausch. She started a world movement, introducing an image for the peaceful majority. The elephant was chosen as a symbol because it marries power with peace. The elephant is a majestic figure of grand size, non abusive in its power and never suppresses the Other.
Since our brain functions through constant image making, images change the world. Therefore the symbol of the elephant marrying peace with power changes the perception of this world. The movement Elephants for Peace offers you a platform to make powerful peace visible.
Elephants for Peace, as a movement is open for participation and can be created at any time at any place.
…Peace is an issue that concerns us all, one that must be celebrated and won every day anew. She [Rose Marie Gnausch] is a person who is not passively watching, but is consciously engaging for world peace. The German artist and art historian would like to draw attention to the fact that the majority of people are for peace in the core of their hearts, but believe that they have no means of achieving peace due to the overwhelming power of current negativity. The individual feels alone, in the sense of “I cannot do anything anyway.” To break through the belief in the status quo is the main goal of the art peace project Elephants for Peace. By participating in the project, the peace intention of the individual is visible and thus experienced by others…I pay tribute to this project as a meaningful, unifying project and hope that many people will support it by all means possible…
Christa Klass
Member of the European Parliament
29/09/09