creature creature

How are you celebrating Lunar New Year this year? Do you have a favourite tradition?

We generally have a big feast at Chanel's parents house for Chinese New Year. It's a small family here in Melbourne so it usually involves Ambrose's family and cousins and partners which makes it a very multicultural crew. The food is very traditional Cantonese though, with specialties like Dad's famous crispy skin pork belly. We also start the meal with a lo hei or prosperity toss which is an old festivity of tossing up shredded vegetables and raw fish for luck and good fortune. It's a fun and messy affair! We enjoy this holiday as a time to spend time with family, with lots of laughs and full stomachs.

How has your cultural background influenced your work?

As an artist duo we believe one of our strengths is creating work from different perspectives, a combination of two minds. This is why our work appeals to so many people, as our influences are so vast. Chanel's Chinese heritage is a part of her identity, but growing up in New Zealand and Australia, there was a combination of east and west forces. This fusion reflects contemporary Asian culture which is experienced in a place here like Melbourne.

What was the inspiration behind the piece you’ve created for Lunar New Year?

We were asked to depict a Dragon featuring the element of water. This is one of our favourite things to visualise and it is akin to life itself, is so ever-changing and dynamic, it can show ferocity and calm. Water has been represented in so many ways throughout art history, our favourite depictions are the graphic patterns of Hokusai. We looked at many of his woodblock prints for inspiration for this piece. In a narrative sense we wanted to show a transition into the new year, as the dragons' horns are growing like branches into the next element, and we featured other animals related to the earth, sea and sky.