Chinese New Year: Penguins inspire Chinese artist in Sydney

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When you think about Chinese New Year celebrations, penguins may not be the first thing that springs to mind, especially during the year of the dog. But the flightless birds are the focus of one Sydney artist's work, designed to highlight the importance of family this time of year. Greg Navarro explains.

After the doors of Sea Life Sydney's Aquarium were closed to the public, and the sun set over Darling Harbour, Tianli Zu went to work. The Beijing-born artist has faced many challenges during her highly acclaimed career - but this one was different. To peel back the usual expectations of art celebrating the Chinese New Year, and find a link between the occasion and an aquarium.

TIANLI ZU ARTIST "I spent lots of time, I actually visited several times to get the inspiration and to respond to this place."

GREG NAVARRO SYDNEY "The inspiration for these installations was kind of an accident, and only came to mind after a walk by these guys."

TIANLI ZU ARTIST "When I came it was really funny - the penguin was molting, they were shedding their feathers and I thought, wow the penguin, they are getting ready for the Chinese New Year."

The project is a first for the aquarium which had never hosted an artists' work, or taken part in a Chinese New Year celebration.

SAMANTHA ANTOUN SEA LIFE SYDNEY AQUARIUM "We know what an acclaimed artist Tianli is, we've seen her work in the past so we thought why not give something to our guests which is unique, that they can relate to, which talks about family and home."

The end result is a pair of flightless seabird sculptures suspended in flight. And a string of yellow flowers leading to a giant Chinese character for home above the penguin's home.

TIANLI ZU ARTIST "To have that symbol in this place, it is a wish, a suggestion that we unify, not only between humans but also between nature and animals."

Tianli Zu says penguins are the perfect inspiration for a piece celebrating the Chinese New Year, because of the traits they share with humans including a devotion to family.

TIANLI ZU ARTIST "As in everybody together celebrating, it is a time to reunite and to share some good time together."

Proving that art and inspiration go hand in hand - even at an aquarium. Greg Navarro, CGTN, Sydney.