The story of the hare and the tiger may sound like one of Aesop's Fables, but it's actually a tale of Crouch Hill artworks.
Artist Ahmed Farooqui regularly installs works on the front of his house, and pre pandemic would turn over the whole of 'Space 36' to exhibitions as part of Crouch End Festival.
During the second lockdown, he put up a pair of giant colourful hares "to watch over the neighbourhood," but after four months on show he donated one to the Sunnyside Community Gardens, and one to a local school.
Measuring 13ft x 6ft, he hopes the artwork on a wall at the gardens in Hazellville Road, Islington can be enjoyed by the local community.
“The Hare is one of a pair that I installed in front of my house last winter," he said. "The idea was for them to keep watch over our neighbourhood through the dark days of winter and take us through to spring. They became an instant hit with the public with hundreds of people walking over to see them and lots of messages of appreciation."
Anna Porch, manager of the charitable community Gardens near Elthorne Park, said: "We jumped at the chance of hosting one of Ahmed’s vibrant Hares. It has come at just the right time as the lockdown is lifting and more people are using the Gardens. We know the Hare will be extremely popular with the many children and families that use the Morris Garden”.
Farooqui has already installed the next set of striking creatures outside his house - inspired by Judith Kerr's classic storybook The Tiger Who Came to Tea.
"I wanted contrasting animals for the summer and I thought of tigers, which connected with Judith Kerr’s wonderful book about a little girl’s kindness and generosity towards a (rather scary) stranger who had invited himself to tea. I created a further chapter to the story where the tiger family invite the little girl to tea in return. Hence the title: “Tea with the tigers”. After the dark winter I wanted a positive and optimistic theme to take us through the summer."
Find more of Ahmed Farooqui's artworks at http://www.ahmedfarooqui.com/
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