The Eighth Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

To begin, what do you think might be the reasons for the recent turn towards performance in contemporary art? Biljana Ciric Today many artists rarely think in terms of the specific medium when producing works. Performativity and using the body have merged into different artistic practices. The recent emergence of performance or live-based works, and their greater presence within contemporary art, as your question implies, could be understood as a critique of the more and more profit-driven logic of the art system; but at the same time, there are changes in the level of acceptance of live-based works within institutional frameworks that give larger visibility to these practices — and this was not the case before. Again, the return to live-based works in many ways has to do with the boredom with contemporary art exhibitions and their ritualised structures that today have become routine guided operations that lead in most cases to collective, rather than individual, experience. Live-based works usually tempt us to challenge these conditions. Sunjung Kim The recent expansion of the art market would have been a significant factor. The mid 2000s saw a vast rise in the art market, which served as a momentum for artists and curators to look back, or retrace, the (not-so-recent) past. Investing anew in 1960s American art, we could not but realise the significance of performativity. Also, with a bustling market, performance in contemporary art could be one alternative form/method of evading/dealing with the burden. Lisa Reihana Performance can mean so many different things to different groups and peoples. Generally when one speaks of Māori performance in Aotearoa New Zealand, it is likely that kapa haka will be invoked. Kapa haka is the term for Māori performing arts and literally means to form a line (kapa) and dance (haka). Māori people express their heritage and cultural identity through song and dance. The genre has evolved from a combination of European and Māori musical principles. Perhaps this helps explain why there has been a proliferation of contemporary Māori dance with longstanding troupes including Black Grace, Atamira and Okareka. They practise a culturally engaged feedback 212—213 APT8 ROUND TABLE