Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, 1993 : Exhibition report

EXHIBITIONS The exhibition installation for the Asia-Pacific Triennial was the largest ever to be undertaken by the Queensland Art Gallery, occupying the majority of the galleries, the Watermall and the Sculpture Courtyard. The space utilised was approximately 4 000m2. This was the first time that the entire Sculpture Courtyard was utilised for temporary exhibition display. The philosophy for the display was to group art works by nation of origin, where possible, to allow visitors a coherent understanding of context. Didactic panels introduced the art of each country. The installation of the exhibition took place between 1-17 September, with the artists arriving between these dates, depending on the complexities of their installations. In addition to the Gallery’s two Exhibition Officers, the installation team included Gallery attendants, workshop staff, and casual staff including local artists and volunteers from the Queensland College of Art. The installation team worked with the visiting artists, and this collaboration resulted in considerable artistic dialogue and exchange of ideas. As there were twenty installation works included in the exhibition, extensive planning was essential in the exhibition lead-up. Planning included continual correspondence with the artists regarding space allocation, materials required and any logistical problems in installing their work. For example, prior to the artists’ arrival, the Exhibitions Section needed to obtain diverse materials such as straw, fifteen cubic metres of firewood, 1 200 plastic bags, twenty-one large sandstone rocks, fifteen tree stumps, and six goldfish bowls. As part of the planning process a scale model of the exhibition was completed in early 1993. This model assisted with the scaling and placement of the art works within the exhibition spaces. In conjunction with the decision to group art works from the same country together, it was apparent that the installation works would provide useful reference points throughout the exhibition, being distinctively placed in accordance with the artists’ spatial and other special requirements. Great care, however, was always taken to ensure that the special presentation requirements intrinsic to installation art did not overshadow other art forms in the immediate area.