Third Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, 1999 : Beyond the future : Report.

ARTISTS' PERFORMANCES OVERVI EW During the open ing week's events, artists presented a d iverse program of powerful and moving performances . Total attendances at APT3 Opening Performances were 1 8 ,833. Performance highl ights were accessible within the Gal lery on video mon itors i n the APT Lounge and on the apt3 Website . Singaporean artist Lee Wen , as the Yellow Man , wal ked t he streets of Brisbane. Indonesian artist Dadang Christanto's installation Api di bu/an Mei 1 998 (Fire in May 1 998) involved the burning of 47 papier-mache figures, symbolising the artist's deep empathy for human suffering; one of Austral ia's leading music ensembles ELISION worked with visual artists to p resent a series of off-site performances, Transmisi, Sonorous Bodies and Inferno, all comp lementing APT3 . Pacific artists Michel Tuffery and Patrice Kaikilekofe worked closely with eh local Samoan and I ndigenous Australian communities and dancers from Futuna island to present Povi tau vaga (The challenge) . The performance helped to enhance the aud ience's understanding of the Pacific region 's trad itions and cultural d iversity. Creating a d ramatic night time 'bull fight', dancers and drummers from the islands of Futuna, Wallis and Samoa shroud their respective 'bulls', taunting, celebrating, chanting, playing out the challenges and tensions that lay amidst Pacific island commun ities, past and p resent. Essentially the scul ptures and performance artwork focus on complimenting the dynamic fabric peoples of the Pacific have based their trad itions, language and ceremonies [on] . Cultural aspects from each Island group throughout the Pacific are closely l i nked beyond d iffering language groups and the ability to communicate through practised art is continuous, symbolising our d ifferences and identifying our common thread . Our art is l ive art. Michel TUFFERY, Artist statement 39