Back to Art
Elephant in the Room
Sophie Von Hellermann
PastTMC3 Collaborative Building
April - June 2025
Thank you to the Great Elephant Migration and Hermann Park for bringing three special visitors–Nilgiri, Ambar, and Ashoka–to the Texas Medical Center. Their presence brought joy and smiles to all who passed by.
The Great Elephant Migration brought a powerful and poetic presence to Houston, transforming public spaces into an open-air celebration of wildlife, art, and global storytelling. In April 2025, three life-sized elephant sculptures arrived at the TMC Commons lawn, inviting the community to reflect on themes of conversation and coexistence. The TMC elephant family includes Nilgiri, a 46-year-old female, along with two males; 13-year-old Ambar and 3-year-old Ashoka.
Supported by the Dunwoody Foundation and presented in partnership with Art & Newport, an organization that collaborates with contemporary artists in each host city, this installation invites local interpretation and artistic dialogue. In Houston, a painting by Sophie Von Hellermann, titled Elephant in the Room, was selected to accompany the exhibit. The work was displayed in Helix Hall at the TMC3 Collaborative Building, exploring the emotional and environmental weight of displacement and presence.
Together, the sculptures and the artwork echoed a larger mission of connecting people, place, and purpose through art and nature.
About the artist: Originally from Munich, Germany, Sophie Von Hellermann is a contemporary artist known for her expressive, large-scale paintings that blend narrative, myth, and imagination. Her art reflects a fascination with storytelling and cultural symbolism, often blurring the line between past and present. Von Hellermann studied at the Düsseldorf Kunstakademie and earned her MA at the Royal College of Art in London. She currently lives and works in London and Margate, UK.
Instagram: @sophievonhellermann
TMC Helix Park Event Sponsorships
Helix Park is a one-of-a-kind campus where science, community, and culture come together. With a growing calendar of events throughout the year—from wellness classes and movie nights to thought-provoking panels and public art installations—we welcome the TMC community, Houstonians, and visitors from across our Member Institutions. Partnerships are at the heart of everything we do, and collaboration fuels the dynamic, inclusive programming that defines Helix Park.
View our Events
Submit Your Art!
TMC Helix Park invites artists to be part of our rotating art collection. We are looking to temporarily showcase work that reflects creativity, curiosity, and connection through sculpture, installation, photography, or other original mediums.