36 young artists and their creations are some of the stars of this year's Sydney Lunar Festival with their inspiring work bringing life and energy to the city.
The works of art have been selected from more than 600 entries and will be key features of the Sydney Lunar Festival, which runs from January 21 to February 5.
The shortlisted art from children aged 6 to 12 years old will feature on illuminated plinths which will bring vibrant colour to the newly pedestrianised George Street. They'll also feature a short hop away on Dixon Street along the mall and in the windows of some businesses.
"The Sydney Lunar Festival is the largest outside Asia, and these gorgeous artworks will be a memorable addition to this special celebration," Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.
"The illustrations are wonderful and highlight how many talented young people we have right across the city, who are using their culture to create works of art to help us ring in the Lunar New Year.
"I am so pleased to be welcoming people back into the city after a challenging few years. This is a hugely important event on Sydney's cultural calendar as it brings communities together, as well as providing economic benefits."
The Year of the Rabbit symbolises peace and the young artists are hoping for a healthy, fun and fulfilled 2023 with more time with family and friends. One budding illustrator hopes to learn how to master the monkey bars on his own.
Ayla Pilosof – 9 years old
"This is Cheng who loves mango flavoured pearl tea and mandarins. I coloured the rabbit in red because it's a lucky colour in Chinese culture. The year of the rabbit to me is a celebration of a gentle and beautiful animal, and my mummy says it symbolises hope, long life and luck. I will feel very proud to see my artwork displayed in the city, and I can't wait to go and see it with my whole family and grandparents."
Christina Lee – 10 years old
"This is Dumpling Rabbit who loves to eat. She is warm-hearted and cute so everyone likes her. The Year of the Rabbit is very important to me since I was born in the Year of the Rabbit! I feel very honoured and excited to know that my little dumpling craving turned into such an inspiring and cute piece that people can admire."
"The ship is called Chinese Flying Rabbit Boat. The Year of the Rabbit is special to me as it is my year. I hope that everyone will be kind and achieve anything they can dream of doing and that I make my family happy and proud of me. I feel like everyone should admire our artworks and I feel really happy and proud."
"My rabbit's name is Musica and the lovely singing voice will make the spirit of the Golden Dragon come to life. My grandma, grandpa, auntie and grand-auntie are all born in the year of the rabbit. I hope that in 2023 I have the chance to play with rabbits or have one as a pet and that me and my family have an excellent year."
Aria Purohit – 11 years old
"This is Faye. She really likes to put on makeup to make herself look bright and happy. She loves to dance, do art and hates playing in grass-fields because it messes up her makeup. It feels great to have my artwork showcased at the Sydney Lunar Festival as now thousands of people can appreciate it and hopefully I can inspire other children into creating artworks that will bring them and others joy. I really hope the Year of the Rabbit is a wonderful year filled with good luck and joy all over the world especially after having Covid ruin the past 2 years."
Doris Wang – 6 years old
"My rabbit is called Sparkle and she loves Chinese moon cake. I drew a cute rabbit eating moon cake just like my rabbit used to. The rabbit symbolises beauty, peace and good luck in China."
"This rabbit is acting out a scene in a Japanese tale called The Inch-high Samurai. I called him Yīngcùn because it means 'inch' in Chinese. I feel very proud of my drawing and next year I will start high school and I wish to have a good time there. I will work hard to achieve my dreams."
Charlie Nguyen – 6 years old
"Fighter Rabbit is a king-fu master. He has a black belt and is strong but kind. I came up with it because I also do martial arts. Year of the Rabbit means a lot of yummy food my ba noi (grandma) cooks, watching lion dance performance and receiving red packets. This year I hope to go on a plane and do the monkey bars by myself."
