1993 APT1 Conference : Identity, tradition and change

2 I th in k he re we can be th ank fu l for the s r e l a t iv e success in th e se lec tions - desp ite th e u n fo r tun a te geographical exclusion of India, Pak is tan , Bangla Desh, Sri Lanka, and Burma - one which was large ly due to th e procedure of local adv isors p re fe rring informed sugges tions and th en the Au s t ra lian se lec to rs making the fina l choice. This has c learly been a way round th e syndromes of v i s i t in g cu ra to r's 3 - d a y i n s t a n t omniscience, or the domestic cu ltu r a l comissar's f ia t, which have con tinua lly a fflic ted in t e rn a t io n a l exhibitions. One should say the d ifficu lt achievemen t of the Queensland formula must be desp ite its l a t t e r - day resemblance to the tr ied and t e s t e d New York or Paris la t e imperia lis t models in th is a rea , pioneered - a word with obvious Au s tra lian resonance - by Les Magiciensde la Terre: we no longer choose the works, we choose the choosers, and th e n second -gue s s them. C ro s s - c u l tu r a l co llabora tion is always dependent on roles played by in te rn a l and e x te rn a l cu ltu r a l impressarios, yet t h e i r func tions are scarcely eve r examined in de ta il. The view t h a t gallery a u tho r itie s or Triennale organ iz ing committees need to choose the choosers, not nece s sa rily th e works d irec tly , is very close to position ing the choosing cu ra to r no t as someone who speaks for the work by the selec tion , bu t much closer to the pos ition h i th e r to occupied by the a r t i s t . Here the a r t work becomes the exh ib ition i t s e l f in which the [mere] a r t works s tand as ma teria ls for deployment; the cu r a to r comes to s tand as the m a g u s - a r t i s t . Of course th is is bo th ridiculous conceit and produc t of corpora te management s t r a t e g i e s forced on museum adm in is tra to rs in h igh -consump tion societies. Ways to stop choosing cu ra to r s or those w'ho se lec ted the choosing cu ra to r s g e tting in to th is position are to ro t a t e exh ib ition s ite s [governments and c ity adm in is tra tions don't like th is ], to ro t a t e the