Te Papa celebrates the Chinese New Year 2008 - Year of the Rat - with a panel discussion, Creative Cool Chinese, featuring three young inspirational New Zealand artists this Saturday.

Victor Huang (animator), Renee Liang (writer) and Sylvia Yang (film-maker) are part of a new breed of culture-shapers working on the creative edge in this country. Each will discuss and showcase highlights from their portfolio, and there will be an opportunity for the audience to ask questions and meet the artists.Te Papa celebrates the Chinese New Year 2008 - Year of the Rat - with a panel discussion, Creative Cool Chinese, featuring three young inspirational New Zealand artists this Saturday.

Victor Huang (animator), Renee Liang (writer) and Sylvia Yang (film-maker) are part of a new breed of culture-shapers working on the creative edge in this country. Each will discuss and showcase highlights from their portfolio, and there will be an opportunity for the audience to ask questions and meet the artists.From America to New Zealand: Born near San Francisco, Victor Huang is living proof that creativity crosses all boundaries. Currently a Senior Animator at Weta Digital, Victor has been played an important role in exporting and articulating New Zealand's unique identity and presence to the world through the art of animation. His credits include working on major international feature films such as King Kong, Bridge to Terabithia, and Fantastic Four and developing commercials for global brands such as Nike.

Paediatrician-cum-writer, Renee Liang won the inaugural The Listener/New Zealand Chinese Association Short Story Competition in 2007 for The Stove, which tells of a woman who discovers some truths about her family and herself while cleaning her parents' old house. A regular MC at Poetry Live, Auckland's weekly poetry performance venue, she also enjoys street poetry and teaching. Renee is an active theatre reviewer for The Lumiere Reader, New Zealand's leading online site for film and arts reviews.

Sylvia Yang knows what it means to work on the creative edge. Her production Sunshine Beyond The Rain was the first internet drama to have been broadcast and made in New Zealand. 26 episodes in total ran on skykiwi.com, New Zealand's leading online portal for the Chinese community, and it was received with great acclaim nationally and internationally. Sylvia is passionate about bridging the gap between mainstream and Chinese communities through creating snappy, catchy media content that audiences can relate to and walk away with having a better understanding of a different community.

Celebrate the Chinese New Year 2008 with these artists whose work and stories will inspire, touch and delight.

When: February 9, 1-2pm
Where: Te Papa, Wellington, Soundings Theatre, Level 2
Tickets: Entry is free

05/02/08