Back Arts & Culture » Music & Art » A Playful Project Uses Pigs to Showcase Vietnam Iconography Through History

Year of the pig is a gift that keeps on giving.

There’s something about the pig in the Vietnamese zodiac that keeps one’s creative juice flowing. Before Tet this year, we were treated to a collection of eclectic pig illustrations featuring 35 young artists from across Vietnam. The pig is also a favorite animal of the zodiac among future parents in Vietnam. It’s only natural that the chubby creature has become the muse of yet another creative endeavor: this time, by a group of animators from Hanoi. If you enjoy the quirky Maneki-Neko project, which was a shared effort by a host of designers from the community to show their love of Japan's adorable lucky cat statues, you might also like LONTA.

LONTA is an animation project by Hanoi-based group RAW Studio. “Lợn ta” can be literally translated as “local pigs,” a simple but fitting name for a showcase of Vietnamese cultural facets via pig depictions. LONTA features 12 different designs of the pig, each taking on a distinctive historical period or art form of the country, including the subsidized economy era (thời bao cấp) or Hang Trong paintings, one of Hanoi’s last remaining ancient art forms.

“We thought of this idea by accident while hanging out at the beginning of September [in 2018],” RAW Studio tells Saigoneer via a Facebook message. “We’re really fond of Vietnamese cultural images, especially designs in ancient Vietnam, as well as early modern periods.”

It was a happy coincidence that 2019 happens to be a year of the pig, so the four members of RAW decided to realize their idea, starting from November last year. LONTA took them three months to finish and was published earlier this month. As all of the members are still in university, time was always an issue while another challenges came into the project’s subject matter.

The “Trống Đồng Đông Sơn” pig posed some difficulties in research and technical handling, according to RAW. The Dong Son drum is a symbol of Dong Son culture in Vietnam’s Red River Delta from 600 BCE to the 3rd century CE.

See the 12 motion graphic pigs below and read more about the LONTA project on its Behance page here:

Illustration: Son Rice

Animation: Nguyen Duy Anh

Graphic Design: Ta Kieu My


Related Articles:

A Medley of 'Year of the Pig' Depictions From 35 Young Artists Across Vietnam

In Vietnam, ‘Golden Babies’ Are Choking Public Services, Parents and One Another

The Curious Case of Hai Phong's Nude Zodiac Sculptures


Related Articles

in Music & Arts

'54 Shades of Dần,' a Tribute to Tết in Tiger-Themed Playing Cards

Tết is coming, a time of joy, new beginnings and, for some, the ideal time for card games.

in Music & Arts

'Despacito' Star Luis Fonsi to Headline Music Festival in Da Nang This July

The international Latin hit will be performed live in Vietnam this July.

in Music & Arts

'In Art We Trust,' a Propaganda Art Exhibition for Gender Equality

Last weekend, Heritage Space and Ơ Kìa Hà Nội held the exhibition “In Art We Trust” — a collection of propaganda art on gender equality — at the Goethe Institute.

in Music & Arts

'Lòng Vòng Sài Gòn' Music Video Reminds Us of the Fantastical Magic of the City

There are certain things that we tend to take for granted in life. A standard routine, moments of simple contentment, and that one cơm tấm lady who’s always been at that street corner whenever you rea...

in Music & Arts

'The Humanimal' Exhibition Celebrates Artist Daos501's 15-Year Journey in Graffiti

The set of artworks titled "The Humanimal" by Daos501 — an established name in Vietnam's graffiti scene — brought the harmony between nature and humans to Interlink’s art event.

in Music & Arts

'The White Distance' Ruminates on the Pandemic Gaps Within Ourselves

The final exhibition of Heritage Space's annual contemporary international art exchange project, "Month of Art Practice - MAP 2021," will be on display in Hanoi until December 12.

Partner Content