The Eighth Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

conditions in Brisbane and in Australia are clearly different now, compared to 1993 when the first APT was held, and it is generally understood that the confidence that has been built throughout these decades, in acknowledging and celebrating the diversity of Australia’s cultural makeup, gives Australia a distinct place from which to reflect on history and geography. From the first exhibitions to now, APT presents audiences with different ways to think about their connection to landscape and geography, and also their connections to other people. This is not to say that these encounters always deliver consensus: provocation, argument, even misunderstanding are valid reactions to art, especially when one considers the significant geography, history and politics that is encompassed by the artists in these exhibitions. Gulnara Kasmalieva and Muratbek Djumaliev are a case in point. Their work A New Silk Road: Algorithm of Survival and Hope 2006 arises from a confrontation between Soviet history and contemporary free markets, presenting a shift in attitude to land and place in what is now the Independent Kyrgyz Republic. It records the movement of material: Soviet scrap metal leaving the Kyrgyz Republic is exchanged for lorries filled with cheap disposable materials from China. In the work, these comings-and-goings are overseen by a man who, accompanied by an accordion, sings a poignant folksong about the love of land and a love of place. Provocation in landscape is presented by Cambodian artist Leang Seckon, whose paintings portray some of Cambodia’s traumas resulting from the experience of the Khmer Rouge. They are raw and highly personal accounts, but also necessary reminders of the abrogation of human rights. The inclusion of Indigenous Australian artists in APT8 —Brook Andrew, Richard Bell, Gunybi Ganambarr, Danie Mellor, Yukultji Napangati, Segar Passi and Christian Thompson — reinforces QAGOMA’s commitment to locating Indigenous Australia, and the Australian continent 24—25 HOW FAR CAN YOU RUNWITH THE WORLD BEHIND YOU?