The Seventh Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

Not so quiet was the dramatic bullfight staged by artists Michel Tuffery and Patrice Kaikilekofe as part of APT3’s opening events. Again, art was taken to the streets, though this time it involved two life-sized mechanical bulls, snorting fire and smoke, along with local Indigenous Australian and Pacific dancers, drummers and firestick twirlers. Following a procession weaving through peak-hour traffic around the Gallery, the performance culminated at sunset in a clash of the two bulls, representing Polynesia and French Polynesia respectively. Writer Virginia Baxter called it a ‘fabulous hybrid that’s managed . . . to scramble ancient rituals of war into one joyous mess of meanings’. 3 These ‘un-missable’ events have ensured the Triennial is an exhibition that audiences feel they need to experience today, right now. In his artist statement for APT3, Michel Tuffery highlighted this immediacy: ‘Our art is live art’. 4 The power of such events, and the importance of performance, particularly in Pacific culture, gave rise to a series of major opening events for each of the last three APTs. For the fourth APT in 2002, Pasifika Divas brought together the glamour and subversive humour of fa’afafine performers through dance, body adornment, design and spectacle. 5 APT5 highlighted the significance of oral storytelling in Indigenous Australian and Pacific Islander cultures through the Represent concerts featuring spoken-word and hip-hop performers, while APT6 explored another integral part of contemporary Pacific culture: the proliferation of reggae music throughout the region, described by consultant curator Brent Clough as ‘a vehicle for social and spiritual expression’. 6 Joyous and inclusive celebrations, these events drew significant audiences from Indigenous, Papua New Guinean and other Pacific communities to the Gallery. The emphasis on bringing as many of the exhibiting artists as possible to Brisbane for APT opening events has meant that artists can deliver their messages to audiences beyond their work in the exhibition. For the first two Triennials, the thirst for knowledge — about the art and artists of the region — was great, but the delivery of information was still somewhat focused on industry professionals. While immensely valuable to the burgeoning scholarship about Asian and Pacific art at the time, the ‘closed doors’ of the academic conference — an important component of early Triennials — became less relevant as broader audiences demonstrated their appetite for information and involvement. Thus, a shift in emphasis occurred; since APT3, the conference has been replaced by a program of major opening celebrations and public events, spanning three or four days. Artist involvement in these programs is central, through artist talks and performances or participation in panel discussions, seminars or ‘in-conversation’ events. Importantly, this approach to programming still caters for the needs of the artists, writers, critics and academics who visit the Triennial every three years. Public programming for each APT is consciously designed to engage a variety of audiences. Specialised programming is developed for children and families, students and educators, young people and emerging arts practitioners, adults and seniors. During APT6, the Friday night Up Late events drew cross-generational crowds to an eclectic mix of talks, live music, film screenings and a unique social atmosphere. Changing communication technologies have also seen more interpretive information made available to Gallery audiences than ever before — extensive web resources, smart phone tours and apps deliver contextual audio and video material directly to visitors, while curatorial insights and artistic viewpoints are made available to audiences via the Gallery blog. During APT6, online activity was so great that traffic to the Gallery’s website was close to double its usual visitation levels. Artist outreach programs — involving many partner organisations such as schools and universities, regional Queensland galleries and grassroots arts organisations — also allow the Triennials to make meaningful connections with the community. APT3 was markedly different from previous incarnations of the Triennial — the third instalment involved activities designed especially for the enjoyment of children and their families. At the end of Cai Guo-Qiang’s memorable Bridge crossing 1999, installed in the Gallery’s Watermall, young visitors sat engrossed in their task of conceptualising and making miniature bridges from bamboo and masking tape. Throughout the exhibition, parents with young children followed the trail of an intrepid-looking dragon that appeared on wall labels alongside selected art works. In another area, children were observing and drawing live goldfish in an installation by Surasi Kusolwong recalling a typical Thai dwelling. 7 These activities constituted the beginning of what proved to be one of the most significant developments of the Triennial in relation to audience development innovation: Kids’ APT. On Bridge crossing , Cai Guo-Qiang commented: The ability to build their own bridges came from within, and what they made [was] fantastic, full of imagination. When they realized it was their turn to have a go at building their own bridge, they came up with the most amazing ideas. However, in their universe, they wouldn’t consider whether or not the bridge [they designed was] too steep that nobody could get on, or whether the distance the bridge crossed was too wide and thus impossible 52