Present Encounters : Papers from the conference of the Second Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Brisbane, 1996

However, there is not much attention given to all these structural problems. Art has become a subject with in itself and , somehow, has developed its own world, separating itself from culture and society - art has its own politics. I am not sure whether any of us here agrees with this observation, but my experiences in community work have told me so. We are living in the world that promotes professionalism , art is a profession, art practices are professional - are we falling into the eth ical shell of professional ism? I do not wish to expand my discussion to other issues but to emphasise that I wish to meet artists who are i nvolved outside the campuses, in communities whose art practices are different from institutional practices. I wish that we had more place for them here, or, on the other hand , that we wished to know more about them, as well as about the issues they're i nvolved with . On another mission in this talk I am promoti ng a recognition of livi ng together and believe that, with this recognition we can break through our professional shells. I n other words, I would like to see more activism in the arts. I would like to see more participation of the arts and artists i n the social arena. There should be art at the May Day rally, there should be art at the farmers' rally, there should be art in community development works, there should be more art in A I DS work. May I share some important experiences in A I DS work with you? In the time since 1 986 that I 've been working on A I DS issues, I have made many new friends who are l ivi ng with H I V/AIDS. The people who are living with H IV/AIDS are my philosophy teachers, they teach me about the relationship of life and death , the process of l iving life, and the meaning of healthy living. They are my i nspiration in my artistic practice ; they confronted me with the ideas of human rights in relation to art, how art can be destructive to others' lives; I learned also that sometimes it is important to ask for permission to make art. Young artists who have worked with me on a community project called 'Art to Understand AI DS' have gained confidence in their artistic practice with a broader perspective and see their roles in society as how art can create an understanding and help remind people that despite the fea r of AIDS, we are not living alone. AIDS is not just an issue about health and sex, but AIDS explores our ways of living , our social structures and, especially, it touches our relationships. AIDS breaks into the most protected and fragile part of human relationships. AIDS opens up discrimination and human rights issues, as well as issues about gender a nd sexual preferences. On the political front, AIDS is checking our political strength , it checks our public health system , it questions modern medical science, it wakes up our politicians, our prime minister and asks 'do you care?'. In October 1 997, next year, the 4th Asia & Pacific AIDS Conference will be held in Manila, The Philippines. I think the arts should be there as wel l . There should be participation from the arts community in order to render our support to those who a re living with the virus, many of them are our colleagues and friends. I believe that art should be able to contribute to community strength , as well as i nternational solidarity. I hope I am not advocating AIDS issues in art work, but I think of the solidarity that art circles can present to the world - our humanity - and I urge that art should be there, at the Asia & Pacific A I DS Conference, to show that we a re also part of the whole and that we also care. 68