“PROJECT 2635”: A plea for our brothers. 13 Planches, 2017 – 2020

“Project 2635” – FACES IN THE WAY OF EXTINCTION, is Gabriel Ruta’s project that attempts to raise awareness against the loss of animal species on earth.

Titled “Project 2635,” it has been exhibited in institutions including the Natural History Museum in Geneva and the Zoological Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, as well as in India.

"Project 2635" is a creation started in November 2017. The objective of this work is to depict 2635 critically endangered animals. Created in Indian ink in the form of scientific plates, this awareness and memorial project takes the form of 13 plates of 100 x 70 cm. The project took three years of work and the dramatic observation is that today, the number of these animals has increased to such an extent that in September 2024, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classified nearly 4 species as critically endangered, that is to say, facing threats so serious that they could soon disappear in the wild.

"The disappearance of wildlife is a reality that affects the entire planet. On land, under the sea and in the air, animals are disappearing at an unsustainable rate. This work is a plea for our brothers. Starting from the observation that a simple figure makes it difficult to imagine the scale of this sad phenomenon, it seemed essential to me to give a "face" to these animals to honor them and engrave them in our consciences. Thus, the visualization of this mass of animals must lead the spectator to get a real idea of ​​the scale of this disappearance to achieve a real awareness."

– Gabriel Ruta

The project consists of 13 original boards:

1- VULNERABILITY
2- SUBLIMIS
3- MIRABILIS
4- ET CETERA
5- EQUILIBRITAS
6- VENUSTAS
7- HARMONIA
8- SUBTLEITIES
9- SENSITIVITIES
10- PRAESIDIUM
11- ELEGANTIA
12- RESPECT
13- FRAGILITY