APT6 in Review

Shinji Ohmaki talks about his Liminal Air – descend – 2007–09 installation as part of the APT6 Opening Weekend Public Programs, December 2009. Photograph: Natasha Harth 27 Artist performances and special presentations took place over the opening weekend. • Charwei Tsai worked with monks from the Chung Tian Temple in Brisbane to inscribe the prajnaparamita or Heart Sutra onto living mushrooms for her installation work Mushroom mantra . She also created Sky mantra , using ink to write the Heart Sutra on a mirror reflecting the sky overhead. • Rohan Wealleans performed a type of consecration rite in which he cut his painting, titled Ritual painting , with a sharp blade, spilling the interior liquid paint onto the floor of the exhibition space. • A configuration of 50 machines filled the air outside the Gallery with thousands of bubbles for Shinji Ohmaki’s Memorial rebirth installation. • Wit Pimkanchanapong invited visitors to make a piece of fruit out of paper as part of his installation, Fruits . They could then purchase the fruit, with the proceeds going to the Wombat Survival Fund to help save the northern hairy nosed wombat — the official mascot of Kids’ APT. Ongoing public programs Public programs throughout the four months of APT6 explored exhibition themes as well as wider contexts for the works on display. • Regular artist and curator talks provided further insights into groups of works on display. • The major eight-week series Talking about Asia Pacific Art, hosted by Dr Mark Pennings, Queensland University of Technology, featured illustrated lectures and in-conversation interviews with special guests including writer, poet and curator Ranjit Hoskote; Dr Morris Low (University of Queensland); and Dr Julia Howell (Griffith University). • The My Gen 50+ programs by Gallery staff included an after-hours guided tour of the exhibition, ‘conversations with curators’ programs, and the opportunity to meet atop the work Untitled , a plinth created by Melbourne-based collective DAMP. • The Tours for Kids program, held on Sundays from January to March 2010, offered specially developed interactive tours for children aged 4–10 years. • APT6 artist Campbell Patterson presented the first in a new Gallery program of artist workshops for visitors aged 13–18 years. Tours and booked groups The Gallery’s volunteer guides provided an invaluable interpretive service, conducting 375 daily tours with 4445 participants. 1319 audio tours were downloaded from the Gallery’s website and 958 were downloaded from the local wireless network in GoMA. Around 29 000 individuals attended the exhibition as part of 916 school and other booked group visits. 700 of these groups — 23 850 students — were from primary, secondary and preschools.