PORTLAND, Ore. - TelAve -- The Imperfecta Gallery is excited to present Elephant Clay Herd, a fundraiser featuring works by Portland artist Serafine Lilien. On view June 4-28, this fundraiser honors elephants' matriarchal family structures and raises awareness about their precarious future.

20% percent of the fundraiser's proceeds will go to organizations that rescue, care for, and rewild orphaned elephants and protect wild lands, including Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in Kenya. These groups milk-feed and nurture orphaned calves, socialize them with peers, and, when ready, return them to wild herds—where elephants often remember and revisit those who raised them. These organizations take care of the orphans for about 10 years.

For the fundraiser, artist Serafine Lilien created a herd of off-white, tusk-colored ceramic sculptures that deliberately lack tusks as a symbol of what's being taken from them—both literally (by poaching for ivory) and figuratively (by habitat loss and exploitation). As the artist explains: "Sculpting these animals is my way of urging viewers to see elephants as wild, sentient beings that deserve space, freedom, and respect rather than entertainment or captivity."

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Elephants face steep declines: roughly 415,000 wild African elephants and 40,000–50,000 wild Asian elephants remain, and both species confront poaching, habitat loss, and climate-related pressures. Some elephants are now born without tusks, an alarming biological change whose causes are still being studied; meanwhile, demand for ivory continues to drive violence and hardship in communities where people have few alternatives to poaching. Elephant tusks are their molar teeth.

Serafine Lilien's herd bluntly asks would we kill for molar teeth? to provoke empathy and action – not pity. By adopting one of Serafine's elephants, collectors will support that lifecycle of rescue, rehabilitation, and return, helping ensure these magnificent animals continue to thrive.

The fundraiser debuts on June 4, with an Opening Reception from 5 to 8pm.

Gallery Opening Hours: Wednesday to Saturday, 11am to 5pm – EXCEPT first Wednesdays (closed) and first Thursdays (open 5-8pm only).

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The gallery is located at 809 NW Flanders st, Portland OR.

About Serafine Lilien
Portland-based Serafine Lilien works in clay to create whimsical, yet realistic/stylistic sculptures of dogs, cats and other animals. She studied at the National Academy of Design in NY and at Artida Arts Inc. in Italy. She has an undergraduate degree in Medical Illustration, hence her realism style.

About Imperfecta Art & Design Gallery
imperfecta is an art & design gallery focused on elevating the work and voices of women artists and minority creatives. http://www.imperfecta.xyz

For press inquiries and images, please contact:
Daria Loi, Founder & Director - imperfecta@studioloi.xyz  |  IG/FB: @imperfecta.xyz