Big Way to cherish life

Dutch artist is turning mundane existence into a celebration, with his mega animal installations, Deng Zhangyu reports.

A tiger cub is adorable, right? And that cub in a party hat is an overdose of cuteness. Now, multiply the cuddle quotient by a thousand, what you get is a giant baby in stripes who's infinitely awesome. That, ladies and gentlemen, is Florentijn Hofman's workmanship for you.

The Dutch artist, who creates playful urban installations to challenge his audience's perspective on quotidian existence, displayed his best-known work, the Rubber Duck, at Beijing's Summer Palace nine years ago. It was an instant crowd magnet, drawing 100,000 visitors within a day.

On Aug 6, Hofman's Rubber Duck-an inflatable version of the childhood rubber duckie bath toy-came to town once more, joined by a "zoo" of his signature larger-than-life animals. The show at Today Art Museum, aptly titled Celebrate! to remind people of the need to find joy in the little things in life, boasts 20-plus installations that cover more than nine sections across three floors. The appeal lies in their sheer size, and sometimes in the choice of materials used.