The Eighth Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

but with the involvement of the Cambodian government in the creation of this sticky mess. In the work of Paphonsak La-Or, Segar Passi and Risham Syed, the layers of meaning, history and experience within the landscape are exposed through painting. Paphonsak La-Or finds parallels between satellite views of the countryside around Fukushima and Futaba in Japan, abandoned in the wake of nuclear disaster, and the underlying political and social ills of Thailand, the country’s realities obscured by its lush beauty and projected image as the land of smiles. Passi and Syed, on the other hand, present audiences with intimate, nuanced glimpses of their native lands in the Torres Strait and contemporary Lahore respectively. For APT8, Passi presents two new canvases featuring the islands of Dauar and Waier, which lie in the brilliant blue waters off the coast of his home, Mer (Murray Island). More portraits than landscapes, the paintings resonate with an intimate and long-held connection to place. 18 In a departure from earlier works, Passi’s paintings detail, with a precision born of daily observation, not only the physical features of the islands, the sea and sky, but also their geological evolution. Larval rocks tumble into the sea in Dauar 2014–15, while in Waier 2015 we encounter an imagined aerial perspective of the island, formed by an active eruption. These physical evocations of the lands’ formation invoke for Passi the connections of his people with the ancient volcanic landscapes of Papua New Guinea. 19 Passi speaks of creator ancestors travelling from Papua New Guinea via Mabuiag Island in the Torres Strait and linguistic ties between Mer and the Fly River region. He also sees the importance of sharing his knowledge of place. Painted in politically precarious times, these paintings stridently reiterate Meriam people’s unwavering determination to enjoy enduring land and marine rights. Segar Passi in his Mer Island studio with Waier 2015 (left) and Dauar 2014–15 (right), July 2015 / Photograph: Diane Moon 106—107 WHERE DOWE COME FROM? WHAT ARE WE? WHERE ARE WE GOING?