By
Rebecca Gibson |
Chinese artist Kuri Huang has created the artwork for the hull of Dream Cruises’ new 1,870-passenger Explorer Dream, which will be launched later this month.
Like her sister ships Genting Dream and World Dream, the new vessel will boast a mermaid icon on her hull when she emerges from a US$56 million renovation to convert her from Star Cruises’ SuperStar Virgo into Explorer Dream. However, Huang has created a “softer, almost impressionistic” depiction of a mermaid and introduced a unicorn, which will “further personify the spirit of exploration and discovery.”
“Dream Cruises is excited to welcome the artistic talents of Kuri Huang who will provide the hull art to our newest ship, Explorer Dream,” said Thatcher Brown, president of Dream Cruises. “Huang’s artistic style aptly embodies Dream Cruises’ brand essence with its imaginative depiction of mythic creatures on a quest to explore new horizons across the seas.”
According to New York-based Huang, the artwork depicts the tale of a mermaid who yearns to travel beyond the ocean and seeks the help of a sea god (in the form of a unicorn) to discover new lands onshore while retaining an indelible link to the seas.
“I am honoured to be able to add my artistic vision to the Dream Cruises brand and to be able to carry on the saga of its iconic mermaid for its newest family member, Explorer Dream,” said Huang. “In my artwork, I wanted to symbolise the intrepid, pathfinding spirit of the new ship by bringing in the new character of the unicorn to represent the spirit of discovery in Explorer Dream.”
When she officially joins the fleet in early April, Explorer Dream will feature the luxury private accommodation enclave The Palace, the virtual reality-based ESC Experience Lab, Zodiac Theatre, the Palm Court observatory lounge, and an atrium linked to dining venues such as Seafood Grill by Mark Best, Mozzarella Ristorante & Pizzeria and Umi Uma Sushi & Teppenyaki.
Explorer Dream will homeport in the Chinese ports of Shanghai and Tianjin and sail to destinations in Japan throughout spring and summer 2019.