Soft politics or celebration? How the arts promote diversity at Lunar New Year

Is it just a calendar date, or is it opportunity to promote acceptance and diversity via the arts? We speak with Asian Australian artists and arts managers this Lunar New Year.

Lunar New Year (LNY) rolls around on the calendar each year – and just like 31 December is marked by chatter of fireworks and celebrations, at this time of year the conversation also turns to the Chinese zodiac, lanterns, dragons and feasting.

But should we be using this moment of celebration as a platform for deeper discussions across the arts, to lead the public towards conversations about racism and diversity that aren’t always easy to have?

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Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina