The 10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT10) Catalogue

The 10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art 14 Foreword Foreword Chris Saines CNZM Director, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art ‘The 10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art' (APT10) is cause for both reflection and celebration. This milestone in the Gallery’s flagship exhibition series has been reached through an unprecedented, shared effort from participating artists and curators, writers, advisors and interlocutors from across the region. Framed by the ubiquitous effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic, APT10 occurs at a time of constant uncertainty marked by an increasing desire to arrive at a new normal, if not return to the old one. After two years of extraordinary damages to public health that have torn hard at the fabric of daily life in much of the Asia Pacific, this Triennial represents a much larger degree of hope than usual. It is the kind of optimism undimmed by border closures and despite the corrosion of lockdowns. In a region whose sense of community and creative resilience has been sorely tested by this extended crisis, the 69 projects in APT10 — by more than 150 emerging and established artists from over 30 countries — demonstrate that hope for a better future underlies our common humanity. This spirit proves difficult to extinguish, wherever and howsoever it is supressed. Innovation, resilience and flexibility are not only hallmarks of the APT’s artist community but also of the Triennial itself, as we have sought to embrace a new approach to exhibition making. While a considerable amount of fieldwork and research had fortunately been completed by the time international travel shut down in March 2020, our teams worked in response to the lockdown to ensure we could represent communities that were suddenly out of reach. We introduced a new approach, with the support of established networks of collaborators, advisors and friends, shifting to online engagement where once the materiality and physical proximity of local visits had been paramount. Artists themselves have shown great diligence and tenacity when grappling with the fallout of the pandemic, while still working to help us deliver an exhibition on this large scale. Although some artists have adapted their work, sometimes radically, and the treasured three-yearly gathering of participants from across the region here in Brisbane is sadly not possible in 2021, this APT has lost none of its vitality as a major platform for voices from the region. In this dynamic and diverse part of the world, three years inevitably sees tremendous change in art practices and sociopolitical conditions. The pandemic has not been the only challenge for many, and our thoughts are with those who suffered the worst effects of COVID, and those whose futures remain uncertain. As we live through this strange time, the voices of artists need to be amplified, not stilled. In a time of unease, we need artists to question and reframe where we stand. When our consciousness is so weighed upon by the gravity of one unifying event, artworks provide us with context, perspective and relief from its pull. They remind us of the longer history of the region, the complexity of its interrelationships, and the beauty of its cultural and natural terrain. While every new edition of the Triennial is a separate entity created from the ground up, each one builds on the legacy, knowledge and networks formed over decades of engagement. APT10 again draws on our work with the region to present an extensive and deeply considered picture of this vast creative milieu. APT10 consists primarily of newly commissioned works and projects that celebrate this geographically, culturally and linguistically diverse part of the world. In addition to undertaking their own research and scholarship, curators have worked collaboratively with in-country interlocutors — a group of friends who help us develop our critical approach and keep us grounded. The works of art are, as always, selected based on their aesthetic quality, for the stories they tell about their cultures of origin and for the unique cultural contexts they represent. From this broad foundation, themes emerge as artists respond to often common conditions. Sione Maileseni Tonga b.1983 Efinanga Ki He Hau 2021 Coconut husk fibres ( pulu ) / Three parts: Pulupulu fakatu’i (imperial robe): 83.8 x 216cm (approx.); fuekafa (handheld device): 45 x 10cm (approx.), kahoa mosikaka (necklace): 75 x 20cm (approx.) / Purchased 2021 with funds from the Jennifer Taylor Bequest through the Queensland Art Gallery l Gallery of Modern Art Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / Photograph: Tanya Edwards