According to the Chinese zodiac, 2022 is the year of the tiger: the largest animal in the cat family and a symbol of majesty and power, but also one of the species at greatest risk of extinction.
To raise awareness, Prada is celebrating the Lunar New Year with ‘Action in the Year of the Tiger’, a combined campaign and project dedicated to safeguarding this legendary animal. The campaign features actress Chun Xia, who won a Hong Kong Film Award for her performance in the film 'Port of Call'.
The images and video, produced in partnership with photographer Liu Song, forgo any fictional elements and instead depict Chun Xia moving around an evocative red space. The result is a narrative built on gestures and direct, spontaneous interaction with the viewer.
Yet this is only the basis for multilayered narrative that devolves around the campaign mission.
Starting from the most visible Prada symbol, its logo, which is transformed into a powerful icon based on classical Chinese techniques and the tiger’s characteristic attributes, the core of the campaign is indeed a collective “action”.
‘Action in the Year of the Tiger’ is an invitation to all talented under-30s at art schools from all over the world, to produce their own personal interpretation of the tiger. The artists have free rein to express themselves however they like using the languages of painting, design and sculpture. The students’ works will be judged by a special jury comprising the artists Liu Ye, Lu Yang and Goshka Macuga, and some will be chosen for use in a special project taking place throughout 2022.
The Prada Group is also contributing to the conservation of endangered Amur tiger by making a donation to “Walking with Tiger and Leopard” Programme of China Green Foundation. The programme will share information of wildlife and biodiversity with the public by high-tech monitoring methods, and improve the awareness of tiger and leopard conservation by environmental education in order to create an “Eden of Big Cats” allowing tigers to live in harmony with humans.
Credits: Photography by Liu Song Video by Shi Kangning Talent: Chun Xia Creative direction by Ferdinando Verderi
