The Eighth Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

AsimWaqif’s APT8 commission All we leave behind are the memories 2015 is a sprawling timber installation across two gallery floors that looks to the provocative transformation and re-deployment of material and knowledge through the destruction of the built environment. Trained as an architect, Waqif works site-specifically in his hometown of New Delhi, but also in Paris, Marrakech, and most recently New York, to create artwork from materials discarded by city-dwellers. During his research, Waqif was drawn to the Brisbane-based demolition company, Deen Bros. These fifth-generation Australians, originally from India, have been associated with the destruction of many historical buildings in this city 1 . As a starting point to this inquiry, Waqif was interested in the unique architecture of the ‘Queenslander’. These cross-ventilated timber homes are often perched upon stilts on hilly Brisbane streets and have at times been replaced (or extended) with more durable concrete examples. Initially Waqif scoured Brisbane timber salvage yards for the remains of discarded Queenslanders; he found these and much more, including old bridges, for the construction of All we leave behind are the memories . The title for this work is no saccharine reference to a perceived loss, rather he argues that there is a ‘sentimental lamentation for the preservation of heritage objects’ that is misplaced: I think it’s very important to destroy material things to allow for adaptation and innovation. What is important to me is the perpetuation of heritage knowledge, not its end product. I think innovation would be better served if it were conscious of heritage knowledge, but heritage objects end up having only sentimental value. 2 In this regard, we can see Waqif’s approach in the context of Ai Weiwei’s Dropping a Han dynasty urn 1995, which was exhibited in APT5. These large photographs, which AI WEIWEI China b.1957 Dropping a Han dynasty urn (detail) 1995 Gelatin silver photographs on paper / Three sheets: 180 x 169.5cm (each) / Purchased 2006. The Queensland Government’s Gallery of Modern Art Acquisitions Fund / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery OPPOSITE ASIMWAQIF India b.1978 At Your Own Risk 2014 Tarafa materials and labour, reused wood, ropes and nails / Site-specific installation, Famous Studios, Mumbai / Image courtesy: The artist and Gallery Nature Morte, New Delhi 30—31 HOW FAR CAN YOU RUNWITH THE WORLD BEHIND YOU?