The Sixth Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

204 displayed the children’s drawings in the Gallery’s newly opened Children’s Art Centre, offering young visitors insights into the very different lives of Afghan children. During the Summer Spectacular festival in January 2007, local children had the opportunity to make drawings with Khadim Ali, and send images of their home environment to the Bamiyan children. For APT6, 17 artist projects (the largest number to date) are featured both in the dedicated spaces of the Children’s Art Centre, and throughout the exhibition across both sites of the Gallery. The Summer Spectacular festival, held in conjunction with APT, further engages audiences with the work of Asia Pacific artists, through artist-run workshops, performances and specially developed projects. With Kids’ APT, children and their families will continue to take part in the making and transformation of the work of contemporary Asian and Pacific artists. In doing so, they will build their knowledge of the art of the region as being some of the most exciting and relevant work being made in contemporary art practice today. In APT6, a wonderful example of this occurs with Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian’s project Patterns of infinity 2009, a touchscreen that engages with the intricacies of the geometric patterns and processes inherent in the artist’s work, which uses mirror mosaic and reverse-glass painting techniques. In this activity — conceived in Iran, realised in Australia, born of an immensely complex history and given new life through twenty-first century technology — multiple worlds will coalesce. Endnote 1 Summer Spectacular festivals are held over the course of two weeks during the Queensland summer school holidays in association with Kids’ APT. Kids’ APT Summer Spectacular was first presented as part of APT2002. Summer Spectacular activities were staged for the first time in regional Queensland centres on 13 January 2007, coinciding with the Kids’ APT5 Summer Spectacular festival in Brisbane. Khadim Ali and the making of The Bamiyan drawing project 2006 for Kids’ APT in APT5 / Photograph: Barat Ali Batoor The young performers who featured in the APT5 performance of Kin , by Stephen Page. Clockwise from left: Curtis Walsh-Jarden, Sean Page, Ryan Jarden, Hunter Page-Lochard, Samson Page, Isileli Jarden and Josiah Page / Photograph: Natasha Harth