1993 APT1 Conference : Identity, tradition and change

4 There is also the danger t h a t inc reased c u ltu r a l and lingu is tic familiarity with one Asian a r t cu ltu re will lead to a r e c o n s t i t u t e d bipolar model of c ro s s - c u l tu r a l re la tion s like the h i th e r to powerful Melbourne- Paris or Sydney-New York. This might be overcome by a continuous exchange between multiple A s i an -A u s tr a lia n po la ritie s , however much t h a t may imply a ce r ta in superfic ia lity about a r t i s t i c u nd e r s tand ing and o t h e r - c u l t u r a l s en s itiv ity . It is unc lear how fa r b e t t e r cu ra to r ia l und e r s tand ing of contemporary Asian a r t would map ou t in to wider Au s t ra lian cu ltu re without it becoming p a r t of wider educa tiona l resource prov ision and a r tis tic exchange. There are signs t h a t l a t t e r ha s t a k en off, bu t no t much subs tance ye t of the former. The index of the former success would be when Asian a r t h is to ry or contemporary prac tice courses form one s tand a rd p a r t of the sy llabus for all a r t schools and a r t h is to ry departmen ts. And, since the implications of the point may need d riv ing home, success in educa tiona l provision would be marked when knowledge of Asian a r t h is to ry became p a r t of the s tand a rd in te llec tua l re fe rence frame and pedagogical ma teria ls of all teach ing a rt h is to ry or a r t theory , no t j u s t 'Asian' spec ia lis ts . B. Excluded Discourses There is much to be sa id for Au s t ra lian s e lf - ex am in in a tion of the Triennale and its selections in terms of the c o n s ti tu tion of its selec tion procedures and the recep tion cu ltu re in to which th e se works come. But I th ink it may also be important to see what kind of a r t discourses get shu t off from in te rn a tion a l exposure by the kind of exh ib ition which those like the Triennale are sometimes forced to become. Among these excluded discourses are: