Beyond the Future: Papers from the Third Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

For Michael Nelson Jagamara regardless of the degree to which he might be giving the market what it wants, he is having fun, enjoying some economic independence and maintain ing the Dreaming. Joking about art is serious business . Incorporated in the execution of these new works by Jagamara is the performative element so integral to ceremonial practice and ritual, the use of the whole body, the large and the visual similarity of the simplified symbol ic l inear qual ity. He relates the splattering and paint spills over the background to the wind that scatters the feathers and flocking used to build up the designs on the ground murals. The feet of the performers who dance on this prepared surface similarly scatter the feathers and flocking, causing the action referred to in these works . One cannot avoid recall ing the action paintings of Jackson Pollock wh ich are as similar in execution as they are different in cultural intent. It is again the viewer that negotiates the space between . I t i s true to say that, contrary to some opinions, the Pacific has had more of an impact on the Triennial over the years than the Triennial has had on the Pacific in terms of form, style and meaning of the work. (This may change. ) In 1 993 a decision was made not to include craft o r traditional art and to restrict performance. A measure of Proj ect Director Dr Carol ine Turner's responsive vision is the move from this position to an entirely new one by the very next APT in 1 996 in which the inverse took place. Her support for the ambitious proposal that Dr Susan Cochrane and myself put forward resulted in the inclusion and redefinition of craft and tradition, and played a role as visible as the location of the collection of 1 1 Aotearoa/New Zealand artists in the dress circle of the Queensland Art Gallery's exhibition spaces - the eminently appropriate waterways. Surrounded by Pacific artists from PNG and the Torres Strait Islands, the Pacific contingent was substantial . By 1 999 much of the 'traditional art and craft' included in installations such as the N iue sea contai ner, the New I reland spirit hut, the Noumea fringe dwellers' camp and the bull performance have not only crossed the boundaries but made a huge impact on everyone's experience of the APT. Johnson , Vivien . 'Michael Nelson Jagamara', Beyond the Future: The Third Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (Ex.cat.), Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, 1 999, p. 1 82 . 2 'They cons ist of blown up, lud icrously exaggerated emu and animal tracks and other motifs from his traditional repertoire . Not only do the results mock the white market so seductively that we still yearn to hang them on our walls, but they also subtly parody Aboriginal paintings that look like gigantic details of earl ier works, notably some of the late works of Emily Kame Kngwarreye (c. 1 9 1 0- 1 996).' Kerr, Joan , Artists and Cartoonists in Black and White (Ex.cat. ), S . H . Ervin Gallery, Sydney, 1 995, p. 78. 87 1