Rare Rabbits, Rare Futures

Limited Edition: Sculptures Auctioned to Sponsor Tomorrow's Digital Artists

→ Collectors bid on bunnies, students gain access to creative education.

Citizen reporter

It’s not often you get to see a rabbit hop and think, and if you are lucky enough it will miss this opportunity all too quickly. Especially as these rabbits are truly a rare find.

A collection of Thinking Rabbits – 23 unique sculptures that reimagine this much-loved childhood pet, furry toy, and storybook character through the creative vision of 22 artists – is currently on display at 223 Jan Smuts Creative Hub.

Having travelled from Noordhoek Artpoint in Cape Town early last month, shortly after completion, onwards to Boston Open Studios in Bellville, the rabbits have now paused in Johannesburg’s leafy Rosebank. But only temporarily, as they will shortly be hopping off into their forever homes.

While art rests, art lovers, collectors, and champions of youth development will have a final opportunity to engage with this joyful and impactful project.

And, for the lucky few, a limited number of Thinking Rabbits are still available to bid on via an app-based auction, which can be downloaded from Apple’s App Store or Google’s Play Store.

The concept behind this warm and whimsical project stems from The Thinking Fund, aimed at raising funds to sponsor students studying Digital Arts. That led to 22 artists being offered a blank rabbit sculpture to bring a tangible quality to this much-loved mammal.

Together, the artists created Thinking Rabbits sculptures symbolising curiosity, creativity, and courage. Not only does that make them collectors’ items in their own right, but the white rabbit base itself has been discontinued – making these bunnies very much limited editions.

“We challenged artists to think deeply about how to portray this much-loved yet misunderstood creature,” says Nicola Tyler, who founded The Thinking Company.

“The idea was to have fun with this concept while raising funds to nurture young minds and future leaders in developing skills for tomorrow.”

Naturally, this led to The Thinking Company birthing and funding The Thinking Fund, which brings artists, collectors, and communities together to enable young people access to creative thinking skills programmes.

Proceeds from the live auction go directly toward youth development, funding bursaries in creative fields and building critical and cognitive thinking skills among students across South Africa, with a view to expanding this impact beyond our borders.

Now in its third year, the Thinking Rabbits continue to demonstrate the power of art as a tool for connection, possibility, and change.

By bidding on a rare Rabbit, supporters become part of a movement that nurtures creativity, removes financial barriers, and unlocks potential where it might otherwise go unseen.

Tyler adds that none of this would be possible without the project’s partners, who help ensure maximum proceeds towards bursaries.

Read the Publication HERE