The City of Sydney is calling on artists to submit ideas for two new illuminated artworks inspired by the Asian lunar lantern tradition to be featured in the 2021 Sydney Lunar Festival.
To mark the Year of the Ox, local creatives are invited to showcase the majestic animal as a contemporary artwork with both day and night time appeal. Artists are also invited to submit designs for a new dragon artwork.
The current Lunar Lanterns exhibition features 12 lanterns representing the animal signs of the Lunar Zodiac.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the City was excited to work with artists to capture the spirit of the popular event.
"Visitors have been delighted by the innovative ways Asian-Australian artists have brought their unique interpretation to a centuries old tradition," the Lord Mayor said.
"We look forward to receiving submissions that are interactive and will enchant visitors of all ages and cultural backgrounds, while also remaining true to the celebrations of the Lunar New Year."
The City is looking for ideas that demonstrate contemporary artistic interpretation and draw inspiration from one or more of the cultures that celebrate the Lunar New Year.
The concepts should be innovative in their use of public space, highly accessible, engaging and demonstrate artistic excellence.
From its modest beginnings in 1995 as a community street market, the City of Sydney's festival has grown to become one of the largest celebrations of the Lunar New Year outside of Asia.
Today the festival attracts close to 1.5 million people - including more than 600,000 visitors to the Lunar Lanterns exhibition - and last year provided a $42 million boost to the local economy.
As well as these artworks, the 2021 festival will feature dragon boat races, an extensive community performance program and more than 95 associated events across the city.
Expressions of interest open at 9am Sydney time on Monday 20 January and close at 11:59pm on Sunday 23 February 2020.
To receive the artist brief and information on how to apply, please contact: Grace Houw, Program Manager - Events: ghouw@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au or +612 9288 5931.
For media inquiries or images, contact Jane Davis, Sydney Lunar Festival Publicist, on 0411 562 131 or JDavis2@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au.
For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Anusha Muller.
Phone 0408 494 545 or email amuller@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
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