Fang Chen, professor of graphic design at Penn State, took third prize at EKOPLAGAT '11, the international exhibition and contest of issued posters on the theme of protecting nature and the environment.
Chen’s poster, “Happy New Year of the Tiger?” was picked from among 180 entries submitted by 73 authors from 21 countries in Europe, Asia and America. Designed in 2010, “Happy New Year of the Tiger?” highlights the dwindling tiger population and its manmade causes, from poaching to habitat destruction.
"Every year I celebrate the New Year by designing a greeting poster based on one animal of the Chinese Zodiac,” said Chen. “People always greet each other by saying ‘Happy New Year!’ when a new year begins. The year 2010 in the Chinese calendar is the Year of the Tiger. Whenever I thought of this endangered species, it was difficult for me to design a greetings poster for 2010 as usual. So I designed this poster as a substitute."
In addition to the juried exhibition, the public can cast its vote for “best poster” on the website www.npmalafatra.sk and by ballot in Museum of Art in Zilina. The contest is open until Dec. 4, and the results will be available on the website www.npmalafatra.sk. The first international exhibition EKOPLAGAT took place in the Povazska Art Gallery in Zilina, Slovakia in 1978. It was the first regular international event of this kind in the world.
Chen’s work has appeared in many international prestigious exhibitions and publications, and he has received numerous awards, include the First Prize of the 9th Chaumont International Poster and Graphic Arts Festival, the Top Prize of the 11th Colorado International Invitational Poster Biennial, the Grand Prix of the 4th Trnava Poster Triennial, and the Gold Award of the 1st Hong Kong International Poster Triennial.
Penn State’s H. Campbell and Eleanor R. Stuckeman School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture is a leader in professional design education comprised of an interdisciplinary confederation of strong design disciplines: Architecture, Design, and Landscape Architecture.
For more information, contact Michele Marchetti at mlm164@psu.edu or 814-863-7268.