Vew from the chair: Speeches of Richard WL Austin

My final sentence in Indonesian referred to the unveiling this morning by the Ambassador of the splendid self-portrait by the famous Indonesian artist, Affandi, which will be on display during the exhibition. 4 The Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, which begins tonight, is a landmark event in the history of the Queensland Art Gallery, and I am delighted that the Premier is here with us once again. This Triennial is the result of a conscious and deliberate policy on the part of the Gallery. In the first speech I made after becoming Chairman of Trustees over six years ago, I voiced my conviction that a Gallery on the periphery of Asia should take full account of the art of what was still often referred to as the Far East, but which was for us very much the Near North. The other Trustees and the Director gave wholehearted support to this concept from the very beginning. In practical terms, this 'taking account' has seen the Gallery exchange exhibitions with China and Japan; it has meant involving corporate Japan in the establishment of the Exhibitions Development Fund with more than $550 000 donated by six Japanese companies; it has resulted in the opening of the ARCO Gallery of Asian Art and the further development of the Gallery's Asian collections; but finally, and most importantly, it has been fulfilled tonight by the Triennial itself. I should like to emphasise that, in preparing for the Triennial, the Gallery staff established close professional and institutional ties in all the participating countries on the basis of intellectual equality. At no time did they seek to impose their own views. The result was a genuine engagement by them with artists, advisers, academics, and members of the cultural sections of the foreign affairs departments in those countries. Their efforts have already been praised in the press-and deservedly so. Last Saturday the Australian ended its review with these words: 'Not since the momentous "Balance 1990" exhibition of contemporary Aboriginal art, also at the Queensland Art Gallery, has an Australian gallery exhibited so much curatorial imagination'. 5 The Triennial, in all its aspects, is the kind of collaborative venture which could well serve as a model, not only for future triennials, but also for other cultural and, indeed, political involvements with the countries of the region represented here tonight. All •of these have different cultures, different systems of government and different problems to solve. I, myself, had the good fortune to live for extended periods in eight of the countries represented and to travel extensively in the other five. From these experiences I have learned to recognise the deep and diverse nature of the cultures of the Asia-Pacific region and I sincerely hope that this depth and diversity will be brought home to all those who see this exhibition. This region is a part of the world which is recognised as having ever-increasing economic, strategic and political importance, and which is establishing contexts for greater intra-regional cooperation. It follows, therefore, that contemporary art, which reflects the dynamic changes occurring there, should also receive greater international attention. Australia's geographical proximity made it an ideal host for an exhibition such as this. But although we are the host country and therefore to some extent the intellectual catalyst, the Triennial should not be seen as a two way dialogue between Australia on 36