Hanoi painter creates unique collection of 2022 tiger-shaped artworks

Painter Nguyen Tan Phat put forward the idea two years ago and recently got down to work on the project, making use of jackfruit wood and lacquer laminated laterite as the main materials in the pieces.

“Tigers are the largest living species and predators of the cat family, and I want to change the perspective of this big animal,” Phat said in a recent interview with VOV.VN.

According to the painter, capturing the true image of the tiger is actually one of the harder elements in creating the art project.

“The most difficult thing is that all the tigers in my 2,022 artworks should look not only powerful but also friendly,” said Phat.

So far the painter has successfully designed more than 500 tiger-shaped statues, with each tiger in the collection being completely unique. In addition, one of the most noteworthy aspect of his work is that all of the pieces can be used in a multitude of ways. 

“The artwork can be a souvenir box, a vase, or a set of chairs with a tea table that are familiar with our daily life,” Phat confided.

Through the project, the painter said he would like to promote artists’ creativity in the field of sculptures in order to popularise Vietnamese culture imbued with national distinctive identity.

The project is expected to be completed in April.