The Third Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art
The Asia-Pacific Triennial is the first major series of exhibitions in
the world to link the contemporary art of Australia, Asia and the Pacific.
The Queensland Art Gallery undertook the Asia-Pacific Triennial to introduce
Australian and international audiences to the diversity of contemporary
Asian and Pacific art. The Triennial provides an international forum for
continuing dialogue, increased cultural understanding, the furthering
of cultural exchange and for the expansion of professional relationships
based on mutual respect. The Triennial has been recognised as a project
of international significance, redressing a lack of understanding and
knowledge in the West of the contemporary art of Asia and the Pacific.
Australia's cultural engagement with Asia has, in the past, been conceived
as art history, both through exhibitions and the development of collections.
The visual arts of Asia have been presented to Australians as a variety
of cultures with a past rich in tradition. The dynamics of change, identities,
and even twentieth-century cultural dislocation as revealed through contemporary
art have only recently attracted attention and are highlighted by the
Asia-Pacific Triennial.
The philosophy of the Triennial is inclusive and based on equal participation
with art professionals throughout the region, almost 600 of whom - artists,
writers and curators - have been involved thus far in the project. In
the course of developing the Triennial, the Gallery has also undertaken
to present a series of exhibitions on the pre-modern and modern art of
Asia and established a major collection in world terms of contemporary
Asian art with a generous donation from the Myer Foundation and Michael
and Ann Myer, in memory of Ken and Yasuko Myer.
Integral to the Triennial project are international conferences, publications,
visitors' programs, documentary films and education programs. Our large
library collection and databases on contemporary Asian and Pacific art
are extensively used by scholars. These aspects of the project introduce
a highly interdisciplinary approach to the engagement with contemporary
art and provide unique opportunities for dialogue. Each Triennial is an
innovative and unique project in terms of intellectual framework, participating
artists and discourse. The 1993 Triennial was attended by over 60,000
people, while the 1996 Triennial attracted 120,000 visitors. We anticipate
that the coming Third Triennial will be the most successful to date.
The Queensland Art Gallery looks forward to an exciting and productive engagement with artists and visitors throughout the Third Asia-Pacific Triennial from 9 September 1999 to 26 January 1999.
Doug Hall
Director
Queensland Art Gallery
Statement by the Asia-Pacific Triennial Project Director
The Queensland Art Gallery recognises the great and enduring achievements
of the historical art of the region and that contemporary societies are
shaped by historical circumstances. It is, however, the contemporary art
of the region which reflects the changing nature of contemporary societies
in the Asia-Pacific region. Today's contemporary art is a product of tradition,
past historical and cultural encounters, continuing cross cultural influences
and the recent economic, technological and information changes which have
pushed the world to a global culture and greatly accelerated those changes.
Dr Caroline Turner
Deputy Director and Manager, Exhibitions and Cultural Development
Queensland Art Gallery
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