A Ray of Hope

British artists ‘olly and suzi’ highlight the plight of the manta ray and whale sharks

We all love the manta ray. This beautiful creature, so graceful and peaceful in its natural habitat, is one of the great sights of our oceans. But the manta ray is one of a number of species that is threatened by extinction. If we are to save these remarkable animals from extinction we need to highlight their plight.  British artists ‘olly and suzi’ visited Soneva Fushi in July to do exactly that. Since 1993 they have taken part in more than 50 expeditions to remote regions of the earth to paint predators and their prey at close proximity, before exhibiting their collaborative work in galleries such as the Simon Dickinson

Gallery in New York, and the Natural History

Museum in London.

Working closely with the marine biologist and Soleni Dive Centre, ‘olly and suzi’ painted the manta rays, as part of their campaign to highlight the plight of such threatened animals. They have visited the North Pole to paint polar bears, South Africa to paint great white sharks, the Galapagos to paint whale sharks, Africa to paint wild dogs, Cayman Islands to paint sting rays… and now Maldives to paint manta rays.   This was no normal painting –they actually painted the manta rays whilst underwater.

During their stay, ‘olly and suzi’ visited neighboring island Maalhos to teach high school students about the plight of manta rays, and how to work collaboratively, using nature to create some incredible art work.

Producer of “End of the Line” and cofounder of Blue Marine Foundation George Duffield accompanied ‘olly and suzi’ to photo document their journey and to produce images for their campaign to highlight the plight of these threatened animals.

The artwork will be exhibited in 2012 and 30% of the sales will be given to Blue Marine Foundation, a new charity formed by a group of influential individuals, brands and organisations to protect the world's oceans through the establishment of a global network of marine reserves. Six Senses' Maldivian resorts – Soneva Fushi, Soneva Gili and recently launched Six Senses Laamu – are sponsoring the foundation for the next three years.