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

COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT OVERVI EW The Gallery is fortunate to have been able to acquire thirty-seven artworks from the APT3 exhibition . Similar numbers of acquisitions were made from the APT1 and APT2 , and the Gallery also purchases artwork between APTs . The Gallery's Collection of Contemporary Asian Art now numbers more than 300 works . Additionally, the Gallery is now turning its attention to the col lection of contemporary art from the Pacific. The Contemporary Asian Art Collection has recently been enhanced by a generous donation from the Sidney Myer Foundation and the Myer family, to further develop the Kenneth and Yasuko Myer Collection of Contemporary Asian Art. This latest donation will continue an endowment for purchases in contemporary Asian art and ensure that the Queensland Art Gallery continues to build one of the most sign ificant collections of contemporary Asian art in the worl d . The A$2 million g ift from the Myer Foundation announced in 1 999 wil l ensure that the Kenneth and Yasuko Myer Collection continues to grow through the addition of further works of great international importance. The Gallery's collection of contemporary Asian art is already acknowledged as one of the world's most important. Sparked by bold early acqu isitions, such as Yasumasa Morimu ra's Doub/age (Marcel) in 1 988 and Xu Bing's Book from the sky in 1 994, a solid foundation was built with major purchases from both the first two APTs. Works acquired from APT1 include Shigeo Toya's Woods Ill and Montien Boonma's Lotus sound From APT2 , the gallery acquired Nilima Sheikh's Shamiana and Wong Hoy Cheong's In search of faraway places. Following curatorial practice with in the APT, these in itial additions to the Collection reflect the curatorial input of a wide range of Gallery staff. Special mention should also be made of the lead ing role played by the Gallery's Department of Prints , Drawings and Photographs in collecting contemporary Asian art over the last decade. At the end of 1 997 the Gallery took a significant step in creating a ful l-time curatorial position for contemporary Asian art, with Suhanya Raffel as the inaugural appointee. This is the first such position in Australia. One of the great benefits of the appointment of a specialist curator in this area has been the ability to collect actively beyond the realm of the APT, bringing into the Gallery's Collection such works as an early painting by Bhupen Khakhar, Portraits of my mother and my father going to Yatra, and Lee U-fan's With winds (installed to great effect in early 1 999 in the Gallery's Watermall between paintings by Willem de Kooning the Austral ian Tony Tuckson). It has also allowed the Gallery to purchase other works by artists who had participated in previous APTs , such as Santiago Bose and Dadang Christanto. Of equal sign ificance was the ded ication of two gallery spaces for contemporary Asian art {also a first in Australia) as part of the New Installation of the Gallery's Collection in 1 998. These two spaces were renamed The Kenneth and Yasuko Myer Galleries in 1 999 at the time of the Myer Foundation G ift. Having these spaces has allowed the Gallery to undertake more detailed curatorial explorations of certain works in our Collection, as wel l as to p rovide optimum d isplays through the input of the Gallery's Head of Installation and Design, Andrew Clark {who is also responsible for the design of the APT). For example, Kami n Lertchaiprasert's Problem­ Wisdom (acquired from APT2) was given a special re-installation in 1 998, along with a publication in the Gallery's new In Focus series . I n addition , Nilima Sheikh's Songspace was g iven an entirely new installation in consultation with the artist. The Gallery's commitment to Pacific art is also expanding. For example, M ichel Tuffery's Vaka faua tutu (Family boat no. 3) was acquired from APT1 . Also purchased was A stronger spring for David . . . by the Australian artist Lin Onus that was exhibited as part of the Pacific selection in APT2 . D ion issia G iakoumi , who had worked in a number of roles on APT2, was appointed Assistant Curator { International Art) at the Gallery in 1 997 and has since instigated a special staff exchange with the Centre Culture! Tj ibaou in New Caledon ia (funded by the Australia Council). More recently, works were acquired for the Gallery's Collection by John Siune from New Guinea and by the New Zealand artist Robin White, who now l ives in Kiribati and was part of the Pacific selection for APT1 . 43