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

1996 in the Gallery and attracted 246 members of the national and international electronic and print media. This was one of the largest media previews ever held at the Queensland Art Gallery. Journalists and critics from twenty-one countries flew to Brisbane to cover the event. The Second Triennial has been highly acclaimed by Australian and international critics for its artistic merit, the promotion of cross­ cultu ral understanding and the professionalism of the project: The Queensland Art Gallery's Asia-Pacific Triennial is recognised internationally as a leading event in the exhibition and forum of contemporary art in this diverse and dynamic region. Through the Triennial, Australia has been warmly regarded as a prominent and sensitive participant in the artistic development of the region. (Mr Kwok Kian Chow, Director of the Singapore Art Museum, speaking at the official opening, 26 September, 1 996.) Of the exhibitions in Australia and Japan offering until now the sole opportunities to address the complex issues and dilemmas facing contemporary Asian artists, the Queensland Art Gallery in Brisbane has assumed a leadership role . . . (Lynn Gumpert, 'Unabashedly Asia' , Artnews, USA, November 1 996.) The Triennial has been well funded but it is repaying its sponsors many times over with its successes . . . The Brisbane exhibition's success was a direct result of management making connections with government, business and academe to get the best possible resu lt. (Joanna Mendelssohn, The Weekend Australian, 1 9 -20 October 1 996.) Among the important international visitors to praise the Second Triennial has been Director of the Tate Gallery London , Mr Nicholas Serota, who visited the Gallery on 1 1 October, 1 996 especially to see the Triennial and wrote: The APT exhibition made a real impact and . . . I found myself referring to it in g lowing terms during my lecture in Canberra. It really has set a new benchmark and opened up new areas of enquiry. As I said there was noth i ng tokenistic about the exhibition and it was the first time that I have seen a show which managed to include a wide range of art from many countries, which managed to do so without any sense of apology or explanation . I look forward to the next in the series. Official opening The official opening of the Second Triennial was one of the largest ever held at the Gallery and d rew approximately 1 ,800 guests. The Second Triennial was opened by the Premier of Queensland, the Hon. Rob Borbidge MLA. The Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister for the Arts, the Hon. Joan Sheldon MLA, gave the keynote address. The opening was also addressed by the Chairman of Trustees, Mr Ian Callinan QC; the Director, Mr Doug Hall; the Director of the Singapore Art Museum, Mr Kwok Kian Chow; and Ms Nilima Sheikh from I ndia who represented the artists. Mrs Ruth Hegarty, an elder of the Gungurri women from the Maranoa area i n Queensland , offered an indigenous Australian welcome accompanied by the Wamal dance group . In his speech , the Premier, the Hon . Rob Borbidge MLA, outlined the significance of the Asia-Pacific Triennial project for Australia and international ly: 4