The Fourth Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

AN INTRODUCTION Cai Guo Qiang China b.1957 Bridge crossing - Project for the Third Asia-Pacific Triennial 1999 Kids' APT project The Third Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Queensland Art Gallery Photograph: Richard Stringer The Asia-Pacific Triennials of Contemporary Art held in 1993, 1996 and 1999 were characterised by an elaborate collaborative structure. In many ways this process - multiple curatorship - became the very heart of the project, a sincerely held principle that extended a sense of ownership to literally hundreds of artists, curators, writers, historians and advisers. Nevertheless, by the conclusion of the third APT there was a consensus, both inside and outside the Gallery, that this generous reciprocal framework was bursting at the seams. There were as many opinions about the direction and format of the exhibition as there were participants. In these circumstances it seemed timely to review the project's aims and purpose. In effect, APT 2002 functions as that analysis. The exhibition has been designed to be revisionist and affirmative, critical and commemorative. It applies what we have learnt and assesses all that we have left to learn. More than ten years after the APT's inception, the Queensland Art Gallery has curatorial positions dedicated to contemporary Asian and Pacific art, collections growing in depth and acclaim, a leading archive on the cultures of the region, an increasing schedule of publications, internships and exchanges, and discerning and enthusiastic audiences for all these programs and activities. In this climate, the curatorial team for APT 2002 consists entirely of Queensland Art Gallery curators led by the Director. Though we have worked hard to preserve the sense of discovery and spectacle so closely associated with the Triennials, there will undoubtedly be visitors who miss the dissonance of the mass of art works, juxtaposed with suprising, even startling results. However, just as the exhibition broke new ground in the early 1990s, we believe APT 2002 will continue to disrupt expectations about the Biennial/Triennial phenomena. Suhanya Raffel is Head of Asian Art at the Queensland Art Gallery. With thanks to Lynne Seear, Rhana Devenport, Julie Ewington, Anne Kirker and Maud Page for their assistance in the development of this essay. Kamol Phaosavasdi Thailand b.1 958 River of the king: Water pollution project one 1993 Installation The First Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Queensland Art Gallery Collection: The artist Photograph: Richard Stringer Surasi Kusolwong Thailand b.1965 Ruen pae (During the moments of the day) 1999 Site-specific installation for Kids' APT project The Third Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Queensland Art Gallery Endnotes Lars Movin, Nam June Paik: Video Sculptures, Electronic Undercurrents [exhibition catalogue], Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen, 1996 p.14. 2 John Berger, Art and Revolution: Ernst Neizvestny and the Role of the Artist in the U.S.5.R., Writers and Readers Publishing Cooperative, London, 1969, p.12. 3 Jean Fisher (ed.), Selected Writings by Lee Ufan, 1970-96, Lisson Gallery, London, 1996, p.101. 17