Bunny bounty: Discover the 36 rabbits created by Sydney’s youngest artists

Technicolour bunnies shine bright

Sydney Lunar Festival runs from 21 January to 5 February and is the largest Lunar New Year celebration outside of Asia.

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.

“The ship is called Chinese Flying Rabbit Boat,” said Summer Shen, 10, of her vibrant drawing. “2023 is special to me as it is my year. I feel like everyone should admire our artworks and I feel really happy and proud.”

Credit: Images (L to R): Jaime Eggins – 7 years old, Evelyn Zhong – 7 years old, Summer Shen – 10 years old.

Superpowers and a passion for fashion

“I believe I can fly! Rabbits can fly too. Especially civilised ones. They have dreams and wishes they want to chase. They are no different to us, no one is more important than anyone,” Angelina Wanh, aged 11 said.

Credit: Images (L to R): Daniel Chen – 10 years old, Angelina Wanh – 11 years old, Worawan Wongwijit – 8 years old

Rainbow rabbits and kung fu masters

“This is Faye. She really likes to put on make-up 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,” Aria Purohit said of her rainbow-coloured rabbit.

Credit: Images (L to R): Mia Sun – 11 years old, Aria Purohit – 11 years old, Charlie Nguyen – 6 years old.

Munching on noodles and moon cake

“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,” Doris Wang said.

Credit: Images (L to R): Olimpia Falcione – 9 years old, Will Zeng – 12 years old, Doris Wang – 6 years old.

Inch-high Samurai

“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.”

Credit: Images (L to R): Kohaku Nakagawa-Lagisz – 11 years old, Maryam Nemer – 11 years old, Charisse Abigail Rianto – 11 years old.

Music to our ears

“My rabbit’s name is Musica and the lovely singing voice will make the spirit of the Golden Dragon come to life,” Henson Tang said.

Credit: Images (L to R): Elizaveta Kuznetsova – 11 years old, Lydia Shi – 10 years old, Henson Tang – 9 years old.

Lucky

“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,” said Ayla Pilosof.

Hayley Tan’s rabbit is made from red packets and has a sustainability message.

“With this artwork, I would like to encourage everyone to recycle in the New Year of the Rabbit to protect our Mother Earth,” she said.

Credit: Images (L to R): Ayla Pilosof – 9 years old, Nina Meyer – 6 years old, Hayley Tan – 8 years old.

Warm dumplings

“Dumpling Rabbit loves to eat. She is warm-hearted and cute so everyone likes her,” Christina Lee said of her drawing.

Credit: Images (L to R): Dian Jiao – 9 years old, Zhengyou Bai – 10 years old, Christina Lee – 10 years old.

Crafty and cool

“This is Buddy. His hobby is to make lanterns and either hang them up or show them off in festivals and parties. Buddy makes lots of lanterns every day!” Macayla Lee said.

Credit: Images (L to R): Macayla Lee – 10 years old, Jane Han – 10 years old, Melissah Phillips – 11 years old.

Snack attack

“This is Taiyin, which means Lunar. Taiyin’s favourite food is dumplings, but he also loves noodles. He is very good at juggling and dancing too,” Millie McNevin, 11, said.

Credit: Images (L to R): Millie McNevin – 11 years old, Cathy Zhang – 9 years old, Lola Yang – 8 years old.

Bunnies bringing bubble tea and good fortune

“This is rabbit Reta, she loves bubble milk tea just like me!” Chloe Chen, 7, said.

“This is rabbit Lucky. He holds gold ingots. He wishes everyone can make fortune in the Year of Rabbit. Gong Xi Fa Cai,” Sophia Wang, 8, said.

Credit: Images (L to R): Sarita Jiang – 9 years old; Chloe Chen – 7 years old; Sophia Wang – 8 years old.

Too cool for school

“His name is Lightning. He is good at playing guitar and he is very cool,” said Jillian Pui of her blue-haired rockstar rabbit.

Credit: Images (L to R): Mengyang Tang – 8 years old, Jillian Pui – 7 years old, Katie Park – 10 years old.