Queensland’s flagship contemporary art exhibition – the Asia Pacific Triennial (APT) Series – celebrates its 20th anniversary with the mounting of the most ambitious and comprehensive exhibition to date.
The 7th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT7) features works from 75 established and emerging artists from 27 countries and occupies the Queensland Art Gallery and the Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) spaces. The APT Series is the only major exhibition series in the world to focus exclusively on the Asia Pacific region including Australia and New Zealand.
This year APT7 includes various photographic works and photomedia installations by a number of photographic artists from Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka. The collection combines the genres of photojournalism, social documentary and portraiture with historical content and contemporary values to present a broad cross-section of the medium.
To mark the twentieth anniversary, artists were invited to interpret archives from across the region. Photographer Torika Bolatagici (Australia/Fiji), poet Teresia Teaiwa (USA/Kiribati/New Zealand), and illustrator Mat Hunkin (New Zealand) teamed up to create the joint project {disarmed} imagining a Pacific archive that explores the militarization in the Pacific through photography, spoken word and illustration.
QAGOMA Acting Director Suhanya Raffel said “APT has clearly played an important role in enhancing cultural dialogue in our region , providing a platform for diverse artistic practices…This year we’re presenting a broader scope of works from the region than ever before, exploring themes including temporary structures and transforming landscapes, varied engagements with the city, and the adaptability of local cultures in the globalized world. APT is as vital, exciting, and engaging as ever”.
Photographers on show at APT7
The photographic component of APT7 includes images by Vietnamese photographic artist An-My Lê who is based in New York. Combining elements of documentary and staged photography, Lê’s artworks explore the disconnection between the way war is perceived historically and the way it is depicted in contemporary media.
There are also works by Australian Michael Cook whose ‘Civilized 2012’ comprises images of Aboriginal people, often in roles that challenge stereotypes, to portray an imagined colonial history without the division of race.
Dominic Sansoni is best known for his work as a photojournalist. In the APT7 collection Sansoni’s images celebrate the idiosyncratic nature of the religious festivals and shrines of his country, Sri Lanka.
New Zealander Greg Semu’s ‘The Battle of the Noble Savage’ series is styled on historical French paintings and comprises elaborate ‘re-enacted’ scenes that are designed to reexamine aspects of Pacific history.
Dayanita Singh’s portraits, street scenes and interiors from cities across India are constructed as interconnecting visual stories, drawing on her early career as a photojournalist, as well as on literary fiction, “producing lyrical combinations”.
Contemporary photomedia artist, Indonesian Edwin Roseno’s ‘Green Hypermarket’ comprises 150 images of flora that have been planted in discarded food packaging. The images are designed to question the role of food in a time of rapacious consumerism.
A New Zealand artist of Samoan and European heritage, Graham Fletcher’s work references Pacific colonial history and his series ‘Lounge Room Tribalism’ features Pacific ethnographic material sourced from periodicals, design books and online.
Since its inception the APT Series has attracted a wide audience, introducing patrons to the idiosyncratic world of visual art. By combining traditional art forms with emerging technologies, APT7 ensures its broad appeal.
Alison Stieven-Taylor
7th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art
APT7 runs till 14 April
The Queensland Art Gallery & Gallery of Modern Art
Stanley Place, South Bank, Brisbane
Australia
Admission is free
