Inspired by Georges Brassens’ satirical song Le Gorille, this dark and expressive illustration reveals the intense gaze of a gorilla confronting human injustice. Through powerful strokes and dramatic ink drips, the work ironically questions the fragile boundary between civilization and savagery.
“I am gorilla… I am flowers, animals. I am nature. Foolish man. Protect Earth.”
And then there is Koko, the famous female gorilla known for her ability to communicate using American Sign Language (ASL). Born in 1971, Koko was raised by psychologist Francine Patterson, who from an early age taught her a vocabulary of several hundred signs.
Koko understood about 1,000 ASL signs and could comprehend approximately 2,000 spoken English words. She demonstrated remarkable intelligence, expressed emotions, displayed humor, sadness, and even linguistic creativity.
Koko was also famous for her bond with domestic cats, whom she adopted as pets, showing notable empathy toward other living beings. She passed away in 2018 at the age of 46.
The last famous words attributed to Koko for humanity came from a video message recorded in 2015 during the climate conference (COP21). Through sign language, Koko is said to have declared:
“I am gorilla… I am flowers, animals. I am nature. Foolish man. Protect Earth.”
This strong, simple, moving message — from a gorilla endowed with deep sensitivity — is often cited as a call from another form of life to humanity, urging awareness of the environmental damage caused by another ape, the human one, and reminding us of our responsibility toward the Earth and the species that inhabit it.
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