The ubiquitous lion and dragon dances performed during New Year celebrations occur at a time when the physical and spiritual worlds are in closest proximity, ceremoniously bridging the divide between the earthly and celestial realms. For multidisciplinary artist Jason Phu, rituals such as joyous processions and community parades are a collaborative effort to welcome heavenly spirits and express the simple pleasures of collective imagining. For this new exhibition, Jason Phu has created a series of banners and costumes with members of the Chinese Seniors Group and TENUN (Storehouse Indonesian Activity Group) of The Kogarah Storehouse and invited participants to lead a parade through Sydney’s Chinatown.

Until recently, New Year celebrations held in Sydney were marked by a community parade. Phu’s new work KTSHCSGATENUN Fun Extravaganza New Year Chinatown Parade (2026) revitalises this lost moment of collective celebration, developed through a series of workshops guided under the principle of free expression and reciprocal learning. The participating community groups have ties to the Haymarket, having lost their former gathering spaces as a result of the changing economic conditions in the precinct. This project heralds a return for many to the area they lived and worked, and shared experiences forging connections as members of the diaspora; a testament to the resilience of first and second generation migrants maintaining cultural connections and enriching broader society.