When wooden sculptures are mentioned, what comes to mind are statues of the Buddha in pagodas, or intricately carved tables and chairs from our childhood homes that had us bending over backwards to scrub them clean every Tết.
However, a young man from Quảng Nam Province proves that there’s more to the art. Channeling the powers vested in him by his love for anime and pop culture, he’s created amazing wooden models of Zoro from One Piece, Goku from Dragon Ball, among other Marvel superhero-inspired masterpieces.
Here’s how the 24-year-old began his epic foray into the world of traditional wood carving, with a modern Gen Z twist.
Image credit: Trần Duy
Despite hailing from a family of wood sculptors, Trần Duy, from Quảng Nam Province, only started practicing the art professionally at age 18. Yet, after 6 years, the currently 24-year-old man already owns a popular YouTube channel showcasing his work with over 740,000 subscribers.
Image credit: Trần Duy
Duy’s fame is no doubt well-deserved. After mastering traditional wood sculpting, he went on to carve a new path for himself.
Instead of the usual Buddhist structures or furniture, Duy’s products include models of anime characters, Marvel and DC superheroes, and video game characters to appeal to a younger millennial and Gen Z audience.
Image credit: Trần Duy
Indeed, all of his sculptures are amazingly detailed, featuring characters that are often positioned in their signature poses. Many are also equipped with working lights to add to the realism.
Video credit: Woodart Vietnam
If you want to see how the artist manages to turn simple blocks of wood into such realistic statues, check out his YouTube channel, where he records the entire carving process.
Image credit: Trần Duy
Speaking to Thanh Niên, Duy shared that he was actually a student at the Huế University – College of Arts, but he quit in the first semester, finding that life “unsuitable”.
“In hindsight, I think it’s a good decision. It allows me more free time to learn new skills and follow my passions,” he shared.
We definitely couldn’t agree more.
All of Duy’s products are up for purchase on his website here, with shipping available globally. Drop by and take a look if you’re interested in having a one-of-a-kind wood sculpture to adorn your living quarters or working desk.
The talented sculptor also does custom orders based on specific requests as well. We’d surely like to see Goku and One Punch Man duke it out like Godzilla versus King Kong – if not in a wild crossover episode on the silver screen, then perhaps in Duy’s intricate wood carvings some day.
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Cover image adapted from Trần Duy (left) and Trần Duy (right)
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