The Eighth Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

Contained within the installation is a large dwelling. Inside, 11 individual performance videos present the diverse and unique range of expressions to be found throughout Melanesia today. On occasion, the space erupts in sound and movement as dancers gather. The space of Yumi Danis (We Dance) aims to be an inclusive one, acknowledging connections to those who came before, while also providing a platform for pushing contemporary creative boundaries. Meltherorong observes: In many ways, the dance, and the art in general, is building up a capacity, a safe sphere, where we have a possibility to safely accumulate what we are, inspired by others, and trans-dance it. As legend gushes out from warrior mouths, those same warriors were once dancers, performing the communion, the achievement of the cycle, waiting for tempered lights from the dusk to come and shine gloomier, to unite with the elements, grinding the ground, breathing the dust, blending voices and steps; the dancer is a warrior and the dance, our existence. 11 No stranger to the practice of pushing creative boundaries whilst working within a framework of age-old beliefs, for APT8, Yolngu artist Gunybi Ganambarr presents a stunning group of works, their surfaces etched, incised and painted with his Ngaymil clan designs. The contemporary translation of sacred designs for a broader audience is a tradition for which artists from Yirrkala in north-east Arnhem Land have become well known. Arguably, the confidence with which Ganambarr engages in this process can be traced to his mentor relationship with one of the method’s most celebrated exponents, Djambawa Marawili. 12 Ganambarr’s experimental approach, in particular, his use of found materials, such as wire, metal sheeting and conveyor belt OPPOSITEFROMTOP NICOLAS MOLÉ France/New Caledonia b.1975 Louyestu 2013 Installation view, Centre Culturel Tjibaou, Noumea / Image courtesy: The artist and Centre Culturel Tjibaou, Noumea NICOLAS MOLÉ (AKA LE SINGE VERT) France/New Caledonia b.1975 MARIANAMOLTENI Argentina/New Caledonia Hnalapa (coté mur) (detail) 2013 Site-specific audiovisual installation, commissioned for ‘Ma maison est un jardin’, Centre Culturel Tjibaou, Noumea / Image courtesy: The artists and Centre Culturel Tjibaou, Noumea / Collection: FACKO