Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, 1993 : Exhibition report

The selection process has been the most rewarding aspect of the entire project and a genuine voyage of discovery for the staff of the Queensland Art Gallery. However, the selections for this exhibition have not been made by Australian curators going into the region and selecting only the work that interested them. From the first, it was central to the Triennial’s curatorial philosophy that the selections would also reflect what experts in those countries believed were important issues within the art of each country. This has been a project of genuine collaboration based on mutual respect, and we thank all of those who have assisted us, generously shared their knowledge and contributed their viewpoints to the project’s objectives. We have been delighted by the extraordinarily enthusiastic response to the Triennial in the countries which we have visited and the fact that artists and critics in those countries have welcomed Australia’s involvement, as well as the concept of the Triennial itself. The focus on contemporary art has been especially applauded as an opportunity to put aside pre-existing stereotypes and initiate discussion and exchange based on the realities of current developments. The issue of whether there should be a theme for this exhibition was raised very early. The selection for 1993 has been based on showing the diversity and dynamism of art practice within the region. It may be that in future Triennial exhibitions a theme or themes will be developed, but our approach for this Triennial was not to attempt to impose any theme on the project but to explore that very diversity as well as concepts of tradition, identity and change in each country. The extensive scale of the project has allowed us to see the artists reflecting a range of experiences relevant to each of the countries in which they work. There was no specific age group designated for the Triennial. On the whole, the selection concentrates mainly on younger artists in their thirties and forties, but there are artists in this exhibition who have been working for over fifty years. There were, of course, many artists of outstanding merit whose work could not be included in the first Triennial. No art media was excluded from the Triennial selections, although in the end the emphasis has been on painting, sculpture, photography, installation and performance. Installation has emerged as a vital and interesting component of the art of our region and it was a component which grew and expanded as we talked to art experts and saw the work of artists in each of the countries. We did approach this exhibition through national contexts, which itself raises significant questions. While the first Triennial includes twelve countries and Hong Kong, it is our hope that further countries will be included in the next Triennial. India, Taiwan and other countries of the Pacific are all areas of special interest to us. In the future the art may be selected thematically rather than nationally, but these are issues which will be canvassed at the 1993 Conference which, we hope, will direct and assist the planning for the 1996 and 1999 Triennials. What is apparent is that the artists within this region are confident in their local and regional specificity as well as in incorporating ideas which cross national boundaries--an art which engages with international art practice but is not dependent on international ideas imposed from a ‘centre’. The focus on contemporary art rather than traditional art approaches was seen as essential from the beginning. While recognising the enduring achievements of the traditional art of the region, and that traditional art continues to co-exist with contemporary