The Sixth Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

214 Charwei Tsai Water Project 2009 Imagine where the water that you are cleaning your hands with is coming from. Could it be the sky where the rain falls from? Or the ocean the octopus is living in? Imagine all the places that the water has travelled through and all the people who helped the water to reach you. And imagine all the animals and plants who we are sharing the water with. Could it be the little frog who is sitting in the rainforest? Or the hippo family who is swimming by? Now imagine how the water flows through and connects us all. — Charwei Tsai Charwei Tsai’s film for children complements the artist’s video projection Hand washing project 2009. Designed to evoke the sensation of touch, this interactive is a sequence of projected images over the handbasins in the Children’s Art Centre bathrooms. Footage of animals interacting with water becomes intermingled with children’s hands as they wash them, offering a new experience of an everyday activity. KR Thukral and Tagra Jiten Thukral India b.1976 Sumir Tagra India b.1979 Working design for Hi! I am India 2009 Commissioned for APT6 / Courtesy: The artists Thukral and Tagra Hi! I am India 2009 Thukral and Tagra have been working collaboratively since 2000. Their multimedia practice reflects the dynamism and ambition of India’s rapidly growing economy, while commenting on consumer culture and social aspirations. The work of these versatile artists is characterised by exuberant colour, elaborate imagery and wicked humour, blurring the boundaries between advertising, retail and art. For Kids’ APT, Thukral and Tagra have designed a do-it-yourself activity and accompanying space for the Children’s Art Centre. Hi! I am India introduces young visitors to the visual culture of India, inviting them to create their own scenes by layering custom-made stickers onto framed backgrounds designed by the artists. Images of contemporary India, like the mass-produced Tata Nano, a small fuel-efficient car marketed as ‘the people’s car’, are offered next to more traditional icons like the buffalo and cart, and the ever-dependable auto rickshaw. Drawing on themes of people, the street, transportation and architecture, the framed sticker collages in Hi! I am India bring to life the rich imagery of India as a dynamic contemporary centre interlaced with symbols of the country’s past. RS Charwei Tsai Taiwan b.1980 Test run for Water Project 2009, Gallery of Modern Art Commissioned for APT6 / Courtesy: The artist / Photograph: Natasha Harth