Roar-some tigers adding colour to Chinese New Year

27 Jan 2022

Chinese New Year is getting off to a roaring start with some terrific tigers adding colour to Wellington. To celebrate The Year of the Tiger, five artists have decorated five tiger sculptures decorated in colourful Resene paints as part of the annual Lunar New Year Festival. Those wanting to ‘paws’ and take a closer look can see the roarsome tigers at venues around the Capital including Shed 6 and the Wellington Museum from Feb 1- Feb 12.

Stan Chan’s Wood Tiger uses many Resene brown colours including Resene Toorak, Resene Chelsea Gem and Resene Cape Palliser, to represent the layers of a tiger’s true character:  strength, bravery, independence, intelligence and sensibleness. 

The sculptures were created from papier-mâché and wire by Fen Covich, Holly Berghan and Annemiek Weterings, before being painted in Resene paint colours by artists Tien Wei Hee, Stan Chan, Matthew Yee, Phoebe Tims and Tara Young. The designs represent the five elements of the Chinese Zodiac:  Water, Fire, Wood, Metal, Earth. Traditional Chinese philosophy observes the relationship between these five elements in nature and the life force or ‘qi’ that flows through them.

Phoebe Tims’ Earth Tiger is represented by lilies, its lucky flower, and several different Resene paints such as Resene Madang and Resene Topspin in the lucky colour, green. “The focal design of my Earth Tiger radiates lilies from the centre outward, a most favourable position as the Earth element captures a grounded, balanced and harmonious nature while constantly striving for growth and improvement,” she says.

February 2022 marks the beginning of the Year of the Tiger, more specifically it’s a Water Tiger Year, the last Water Tiger Year was in 1962. Tigers are a symbol of strength and are associated with energy and activity and water is associated with emotion. Famous people born in the Year of the Tiger include Tenzing Norgay (1914), Marilyn Monroe (1926),  Helen Clark (1950), Steve Irwin (1962), Leonardo DiCaprio (1974), Victoria Beckham (1974), Lady Gaga (1986).

Matthew Yee's Metal tiger is painted in Resene FX Metallic Gold and Resene Half Resolution Blue. He says of his artwork:  "An unyielding force, Metal represents strength as a single unity, where energy is consolidated. It is the force of gravity, the minerals within the earth, the patterns of the heavenly bodies and the powers of electrical conductivity and magnetism. The colour pallete designed for Metal represents structure, captured in the rigidity and harsh angular strokes.”

Lunar New Year Festival is on 1-12 February 2022 in Wellington and with online events  celebrating the New Year. Check Facebook Lunar New Year Festival | Facebook and https://lunarnewyearfestival.co.nz/ for updates regarding Level Red Covid-19 restrictions on events.

Published: 27 Jan 2022