Vew from the chair: Speeches of Richard WL Austin

Nationale, Paris' in 1991 and 'Treasures from the Shanghai Museum' in 1990. However, this four-day conference is the largest held to date by the Gallery, both in terms of numbers attending-well over 400 delegates have registered--and in the number of speakers. There are representatives here from each of the countries involved in the Triennial, as well as from other nations including the United States, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The convenors of this conference have laid great emphasis on linking the topics and the structure of the conference papers and sessions to the art works on show in the Triennial.' This should give the forum the opportunity to be a particularly vibrant and lively event. I would like to commend those who have organised this conference and, in particular, acknowledge the Centre for the Study of Australia-Asia Relations at Griffith University, which has collaborated with the Gallery on this event. I, myself, have had the good fortune to have lived for extended periods in eight of the thirteen countries represented in this Triennial, and to have travelled 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. I sincerely hope that this depth and diversity will be brought home to all those who see the exhibition and take part in the conference. As Professor Wang Gungwu put it in his Foreword to the Triennial book, Tradition and Change: Contemporary Art ofAsia and the Pacific: I would like to believe that artistic exchanges enrich the cultures involved. How enriching, however, depends on whether the imaginative and sensitive exponents of any art form receive the respect of those who support and judge them. 2 In a sense, you, the delegates to this conference, are the judges and supporters. The verdict is up to you. 15 Speech to thank Mr and Mrs Michael Myer and to introduce the Premier, the Hon. Wayne Goss, at the preview of the Kenneth and Yasuko Myer Collection of Contemporary Asian Art, 29 March 1994 NOTE: THE QUEENSLAND ART GALLERY WAS ABLE TO BUY A NUMBER OF MAJOR WORKS FROM THE FIRST ASIA-PACIFIC TRIENNIAL EXHIBITION THROUGH THE GENEROUS DONATION OF MR MICHAEL MYER AND MRS ANN GAMBLE MYER, AND THE MYER FOUNDATION, TO FORM THE KENNETH AND YASUKO MYER COLLECTION. THIS WAS THE FIRST COLLECTION FOCUSING ON CONTEMPORARY ASIAN ART FROM SUCH A VARIETY OF COUNTRIES TO BE FORMED IN ANY WESTERN COUNTRY. Before thanking Mr and Mrs Michael Myer and the Myer Foundation for making this exhibition possible, and calling upon the Premier to open it, I should like to speak briefly about the Myer family itself. 38