1993 APT1 Conference : Identity, tradition and change

13 exh ib ition con tex t makes it d ifficult to answer them if the organ iz ing u n it is solely a cu ltu re based in a n a tion s t a t e . The l a s t is as re l a t iv e ly modern a no tion in Europe as in Asia - the re has only been a unified German s t a t e since 1S70 - bu t the use of na tion a l un its is f r equ en tly deployed to allow se lec tion to be channe led by sovere ign ty over ways of life and be liefs. It is as if the mega-warehouse of c r o s s - c u l t u r a l goods has a unique b u t mutua lly s u b s t i t u t ab l e s e t of en try codes, av a il ab le only to d e s igna ted personnel. National un it may s till have va lue in c r o s s - c u l t u r a l a r t exchanges, above and beyond the need to find financ ia l support. It allows discourse be tween cu ltu r e s whose work might be excluded or not b rough t into con tac t, because of a lack of i n t e r e s t or re levance fe lt by o t h e r - c u l t u r a l cu ra to rs . The n a tion a l un it might also allow a way around the danger of ove r­ s e lec ting a r t i s t s who play th ird world for the f ir s t, and to g a th e r o t h e r - c u ltu r a l a t t e n t i o n ahead of a r t i s t s in the home a rt world. Probably we are '> only beg inn ing to be aware of the se problems, and of o th e r dangers specific here like, Au s tra lia p re tend ing to play f ir s t world to the t h i r d world of its own imaginings, a tune which sometimes beguns to be heard . The a t t r a c t i o n of the Trienale is t h a t it may f a c ilita te d ep a r tu r e from such ancien regime tra jec to rie s . But of more significance, if we can regard the Triennale as a s ite for mutual exchange, is t h a t by fo rg e ttin g and by looking d irec tly a t a rt from, bu t not nece s sa rily exp ressed as r e p r e s e n ta tiv e of, each o t h e r ’s a rt cu ltu re s , w:e can make new meanings and d iscover new formal d iscourses which belong to us. We owe a debt to the Trienna le organizers for l e t t i n g us begin.