The Sixth Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

211 The Mekong / Rich Streitmatter-Tran My River, My Future: A Children’s Drawing Project 2009 Artist statement The wellbeing of a community requires a pro-active investment in the future. Perhaps most intimately the short-term rewards of a good investment can be seen in the health of children and local water sources on which life depends. This project aims to link children from four communities with their local rivers in a reflective drawing project visualising their special relationship to the river. For children in the Greater Mekong Subregion, information about the Mekong River will be discussed with local rivers such as the Saigon River, the Sangker and the Irrawaddy. For children in Australia, the focus will be on issues relating to the Brisbane River. The project was facilitated in each of the four communities (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Battambang, Cambodia; Yangon, Myanmar; and Brisbane) by an experienced local leader working with children and art. The aim is to engage at least 20 children in each location, from which a selection of drawings will be exhibited at the Queensland Art Gallery . . . in conjunction with APT6. Drawings from one community not selected for exhibition will be distributed and shared with the children from the other communities, offering a comparative view into the lives and rivers of others. Children's workshop, My River, My Future: A Children’s Drawing Project 2009, Han Bridge School, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Commissioned for APT6 / Image courtesy: Rich Streitmatter-Tran Mansudae Art Studio The Fairy of the Kumgang Mountains 2009 The traditional Korean children’s story The Fairy of the Kumgang Mountains is brought to life in this large-scale mural installation. Spanning the length of the Children’s Art Centre corridor in the Gallery of Modern Art, young visitors can experience this treasured tale in six themed ‘chapter’ rooms, each featuring detailed paintings by artists from the Mansudae Art Studio. The story revolves around Bau, a woodsman who rescues a wounded deer and is rewarded when the deer tells him of eight pools deep in the Kumgang Mountains where fairies from heaven swim. After stealing a fairy’s winged dress, Bau convinces the fairy Unbyol to become his wife. Bau and Unbyol have three children and live happily together, until Unbyol tries on her old winged dress and is swept back up to heaven with her three children. Bau waits for the full moon at the fairy pools when a giant silver scoop comes down from heaven to collect water. Bau ascends to heaven, convincing his wife and children to return to earth to live happily as a hardworking, prosperous family. Accompanied by narration in Korean, The Fairy of the Kumgang Mountains takes young visitors on a fantastical journey through evocative scenery drawn from the folklore of North Korea (DPRK). TW Mansudae Art Studio North Korea (DPRK) est.1959 The Fairy of the Kumgang Mountains (detail) 2009 Commissioned for APT6 / Courtesy: The artists