Vancouver artist commemorating Year of the Tiger with new NFT collection
The Year of the Tiger is upon us and one Vancouver artist is celebrating the start of the Lunar New Year by dropping a new NFT Collection spotlighting the big cat.
Mustaali Raj, an independent art director, graphic designer, and visual artist based in Mount Pleasant, will release i OF THE TiGER on Opensea NFT marketplace on February 1 at 8 am PT.
The final series artwork will be revealed on the day of the drop with unlockable behind-the-scenes content being made available to all i OF THE TiGER buyers.
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This is the first NFT collection created by Raj, and he told Daily Hive that the project has deep personal meaning for himself.
“i OF THE TiGER is about reconnecting with your inner self. The drive, the confidence, the ability to overcome,” said Raj in an interview. “Across Asia, the tiger is an iconic creature that represents resilience, strength and courage. There is a tiger within all of us and somewhere along the way, this tiger gets lost in the wild.
“The spirit of the big cat awakens to reveal itself in different forms this lunar year, and so too does this series when it releases on February 1.”
South Asian Emblem Snow silhouette, i OF THE TiGER by Mustaali Raj/Submitted
There will be eight different tigers with multiple editions available to be minted when i OF THE TiGER drops on Opensea. The stunning digital artworks includes Brave Bengal, Super Siberian, Mindful Maltese, and more.
Raj describes himself as an animal fanatic and shared that big cats have fascinated him since childhood.
“A lot of credit goes to The Lion King for that. Shere Khan and Bagheera from The Jungle Book are also some of my favourite characters that combine my personal connection to South Asia and big cats,” said Raj. “This collection helps bring together elements that I’m passionate about, like architecture, geometric patterns and animals.”
The Capilano University IDEA School of Design graduate is also becoming a fanatic of NFTs.
Mustaali Raj/Submitted
“It’s an exciting new medium that’s putting artists at the forefront and letting them be in control of the entire creative process,” explained Raj. “I’ve been learning to work in 3D for some time now. When the initial idea surfaced for i OF THE TiGER, I knew I wanted to create something 3D, building off my signature style. It was really fun to explore how far I could push the shapes and patterns to create tigers with abstracted personas.”
And to help real-life big cats in the wild, Raj has pledged 8% of profits will be donated towards Reforestation projects.
“Contributing to reforestation projects is a way to offset my carbon footprint while preserving natural habitats,” said Raj. “As forests get restored, leaf litter, water, and wildlife also return, and nature begins to heal. Local communities also benefit from these initiatives.”
Spirit silhouette, i OF THE TiGER by Mustaali Raj/Submitted
To learn more, head to i OF THE TiGER on Opensea.
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