Chinese artist to design cruise liner Norwegian Joy’s hull art

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), the international cruise line company, have chosen the famous Chinese artist, Tan Ping, to design the artwork on the hull (the body of a ship) of their newest cruise liner, Norwegian Joy.

Norwegian Joy is set to introduce new standards into the China market, which is projected to become the second largest cruise market in the world. The upscale liner is purpose-built, with cuisine and onboard entertainment tailored for Chinese passengers.

This Chinese style will now also be expressed in the appearance of the ship.

“We are incredibly honored to be partnering with Professor Tan Ping,” said David Herrera, President, NCL China.

“Tan Ping’s ability to design concepts that easily blend traditional Chinese culture with moving and changing aspects of life is inspiring. He has perfectly captured the feel of Norwegian Joy as a luxurious, technologically advanced ship while honoring traditional Chinese values. The hull art embodies the essence of the best of The East meshing perfectly with the best of The West,” Herrera added.

Tan Ping is a renowned painter, printmaker and educator, especially famous for his abstract paintings and copper plate etchings. Norwegian Joy, with a weight of 163,000 tons and a capacity of 3900 passengers, will be the Chinese artist’s biggest work to date.

“Traveling worldwide on Norwegian Joy, I also expect that it will reach a far greater number of viewers than any of my previous works,” the Tan Ping said at his presentation.

The theme of the ship will be the Phoenix, a mythical bird, significant to Chinese arts throughout history. The main colours for the ship will be red and yellow, the two most regal colours in China.

“The Phoenix symbolizes beauty and good luck in Chinese culture and, Norwegian Joy will bridge across the West and the East and bring Chinese people’s best wish to the world and everyone in her path,” said Tan Ping.

Besides impressive artwork, Norwegian Joy will feature a two-level competitive racetrack, an open-air laser tag course, fine dining, upscale accomodation and much more that will provide a relaxed, resort style cruise vacation for its passengers. The ship will set sails in the summer of 2017

See also: 

Norwegian launches upscale cruise liner for Chinese market