Queensland Art Gallery Annual Report 2006-07

focus: 'the 5th asia–pacific triennial of contemporary art' / QUEENSLAND ART GALLERY ANNUAL REPORT 06–07 29 Focus: 'The 5th Asia–Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art' 'The 5th Asia–Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art' (APT5) was the most ambitious exhibition in the series to date, and provided a rich and diverse experience of visual art, cinema and performance for Gallery audiences. It was the opening exhibition of the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) and the refurbished Queensland Art Gallery (QAG). APT5 featured the work of 37 artists and two multi-artist projects from Asia, Australia and the Pacific, and built on the far-reaching relationships the Gallery has established in the region over many years. It presented the best of contemporary art with a broad diversity of subjects and media, with many of the selected artists shown in depth in Australia for the first time. Many works featured in APT5 were acquired for the Gallery's Collection, including several major commissions; while Ai Weiwei's Boomerang 2006, a site-specific installation for APT5 and the Gallery's Watermall, was gifted to the Gallery by the artist. This collecting focus is a defining characteristic of the APT and distinguishes the exhibition from other recurring international art events. APT5 coincided with the opening of facilities in GoMA for the Australian Cinémathèque and the Children's Art Centre, and both presented major programs as part of the Triennial. The curated performance program was also a highlight, showcasing some of the most talented performers from Queensland, Asia and the Pacific. The official opening of APT5 and GoMA attracted attendances of some 4000 people on 1 December 2006, while record APT5 attendances of 380 867 for QAG and 373 424 for GoMA represented a more-than-70 per cent increase on attendances for APT 2002. Opening Celebrations Some 14 986 visitors attended opening weekend celebrations at QAG and 21 915 at GoMA over the four days from 1 to 4 December 2006. Performance The APT5 performance program formed a large component of the opening weekend celebrations for APT5 and GoMA. A dedicated multi-disciplinary project team developed the program over a period of more than 12 months and ensured the performance program remained within the curatorial rationale of the APT5 exhibition. The APT5 performance program consisted of five separate programs includ- ing Stephen Page's theatre production Kin , Cornelius, Represent Volume I, Represent Volume II, and Queensland Indigenous Performance. A significant component of APT5 performance and the opening of GoMA included a focus on Indigenous performance from south-east Queensland, which reflected and celebrated the talent of Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The program included a mixture of rock, hip-hop, soul, funk and urban Murri music, and a session titled Deadly Soul Sistas featuring prominent Indigenous female performers. The public opening of APT5 and GoMA on 2 December was marked by a free multimedia performance by eclectic Japanese musician Cornelius, aka Keigo Oyamada, which was complemented by a screening of Sensuous Things — a survey of Cornelius's collaborations with visual artists and musicians — in the Australian Cinémathèque's Cinema A. Represent Volume I: Indigenous and Pacific Spoken Word (3 December) featured a wide range of spoken word artists, including performers from Australia, the Pacific and the local Indigenous community, and was staged across both sites. Represent Volume II: Indigenous and Pacific Hip-Hop (3 December) was scheduled to be the final program presented as part of the APT5 performance program, featuring headline act Scribe. Unfortunately, due to extreme weather conditions, this program was cancelled. Kin — a specially commissioned theatre production by APT5 artist Stephen Page which brings together three gen- erations of Page men in a story of family, community and history told through the eyes of seven young Aboriginal boys — was performed for the public three times on 3 December in the Australian Cinémathèque's Cinema B. The performances were greeted with an overwhelmingly positive response from audiences. OPPOSITE Bharti Kher India b.1969 The skin speaks a language not its own 2006 Fibreglass and bindi, ed. 1/3 167.6 x 152.4 x 457.2cm (irreg., approx.) Purchased 2007. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation