The Seventh Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

As part of APT7, we also continue our in-depth exploration of West Asia. This region, encompassing Turkey through the Middle East to Iran and Central Asia, is characterised by diverse histories, cultures, religions and politics, and has long been a route for cultural exchange between East and West. The sharing of cultural ideas and knowledge is also the basis of Michael Parekowhai’s poetic The World Turns , a public sculpture commissioned to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the opening of GOMA and 20 years of APT. This remarkable work will be an enduring testament to cultural exchange. Each APT would not be possible without the generous support we receive from government bodies, sponsors and benefactors. The Queensland Government is the Founding Supporter of APT, and I gratefully acknowledge their ongoing generosity. Presenting Sponsor of APT7 is Santos, whose support of our summer exhibition program and Children’s Art Centre is the most significant single corporate investment in the Gallery’s history. I acknowledge APT7’s Principal Partners Events Queensland and the Australian Government, through the Australia Council for the Arts and the Visual Arts and Crafts Strategy. The Tim Fairfax Family Foundation is one of the Gallery’s greatest supporters, and I sincerely thank them for their commitment to Kids’ APT, which this year supports Kids’ APT7 artist projects, the children’s publication and Kids’ APT7 on Tour. I also acknowledge and thank Major Sponsors Kramer Ausenco and the Chairman’s Circle. We have also received invaluable support from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, as well as from our cultural partners and tourism and media partners, and I acknowledge their important contributions. APT7 has been curated by a team of Gallery staff who have travelled extensively throughout the region, consulting with artists and a broad network of advisors and colleagues, including co-curators November Paynter and Martin Fowler, and I sincerely thank you all for your enthusiasm and commitment. I acknowledge Tony Ellwood, former QAGOMA Director, who played a fundamental role in APT7’s development, and I thank our Board of Trustees and the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation for their unwavering support of all the Triennials. I also acknowledge the Executive Management Team, along with the entire Gallery staff, whose passion, creativity, energy and hard work has made APT7, and others, such a success. Finally, and most importantly, I thank all the artists, past and present — they are the essence of APT, and the reason we do what we do. QAGOMA remains firmly committed to an enduring engagement with Asia and the Pacific through collecting, researching, exhibiting, publishing and interpreting the art of the region. ‘The 7th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art’ encapsulates these ambitions, and we are excited by the potential directions of future collaborations and cultural exchanges with our peers throughout the region. SUHANYA RAFFEL, ACTING DIRECTOR TIMOTHY COOK Australia b.1958 Tiwi people NT Kulama 2012 Natural pigments with synthetic binder on linen / 180 x 200cm / Purchased 2012. Queensland Art Gallery / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery 25