The Second Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Brisbane, Australia, 1996 : Report

• I nternational promotion of Australia and Australian art through the participating Australian artists and scholars, through their contacts with their international counterparts and the wide media coverage of the Second Triennial, including the Australian component (see also Media Coverage, Volume 5). • Greater understanding and awareness of contemporary Asian and Pacific art i n Australia through the Publications, Conference , the Education Program and the media coverage. • Recognition that Australia can provide a location for cultural debate on Asia­ Pacific issues and that Australia has a significant role to play in the area of contemporary art in the region , as reflected in the critical and media response and i n the letters of congratulations (see also Comments: Writers and Critics, Comments: General Public and Comments: Artists in this Volume and Media Coverage i n Vol ume 5). • Recognition of the importance of the art of the Asia-Pacific reg ion internationally, through coverage i n the international press and the international visitors to the Second Triennial. • Promotion of Australia as a modern, technologically sophisticated and multicultural country (see also Comments: Writers and Critics, Comments: General Public and Comments: Artists in this Volume, and Media Coverage i n Volume 5) . The educational role of the Asia-Pacific Triennial has been of major significance . The p roject's intentions to enhance perceptions of Australia internationally, and to promote a deeper cross-cultu ral understanding in the Asia-Pacific region were successfully met as expressed by the comment of participating cu rator Mr Masahiro Ushi roshoj i (Curator, Fukuoka Art Museum): Although we learnt about the 'Wh ite Australian Policy' at school long time ago, Australia has high regard for Aboriginal cultu re and actively accepts Asian migrants i nto the country these days' ( Mainichi Shimbum, 1 5 November 1 996) , and by Australian critic John McDonald in The Sydney Morning Herald, 5 October 1 996: It is an exhibition that grows more impressive with a second and a third viewing, as the diversity of material becomes more digestible. Above all, there is the ever­ renewed feeling that this is work that has genuine relevance to Australia - promoting a dialogue between nations in the Asia-Pacific region which can only lead to greater closeness and understanding. The Second Triennial has reached a highly significant number of audiences not only through the exhibition (approximately 1 20,000 visitors), the Conference (approximately 600 national and international delegates), the Catalogue (3,400 copies distributed to date), the Second Triennial supplement in Art AsiaPacific (7,000 copies distributed to date) , the documentary film Millennium Shift (more than 50,000 viewers), the Worldwide Web page (approximately 3,000 'hits'), but also through the wide media coverage of the project, nationally and internationally in magazines and newspapers with high circulation and readership (eg The Australian, 9