William Bakalevu discovered his passion for painting at 37 years of age after relocating from Suva, the capital city of Fiji, to his ancestral village of Nakorolevu. Inspired by local history and daily life, Bakalevu began creating domestic murals to visually document village stories. This endeavour marked the beginning of his lifelong dedication to retelling local legends and proverbs through art. Bakalevu has continued to refine his innovative contextualisation of Fijian legends, blending narrative and emotion through new symbols and techniques. Viavia 2024 (translating to Wannabe), explores the Fijian proverb ‘Eda Ika kecega, is eda dui nubunubu’, which likens people to fish dwelling at different depths. In this painting, Bakalevu reflects on his unique artistic journey, acknowledging his desire to explore new directions while remaining deeply rooted in his cultural heritage. Viavia (Wannabe/Want to be) 2024 Through his layering of natural tones and textures, Bakalevu’s paintings draws on the visual aesthetic of customary Fijian textile and pottery practices. This can be seen in the composition of The legend of the birds of Nacilau 2010, in which appear three characters from a legend about the night Degei, the supreme god of Fiji (here in serpent form), asked his son to order the native birds of Nacilau village to sleep elsewhere because they were chirping too loudly near his cave. The legend provides an explanation for the birds leaving the area just after sunset and returning after sunrise the next day. The legend of the birds of Nacilau 2010 The Taralala 2010 shows three closely linked figures against a green background, connected through rhythmic patterns as they move together doing the Taralala — a Fijian dance that can be performed to any beat or melogy. Most social gatherings in Fiji have moments for people to engage in this form of dance as an important way of contributing to the spirit of joy ad fellowship. The Taralala 2010 In The legend of the Raki Raki reefs 2010, with the texture of a woven mat in the background, the serpent form of Degei appears with his subjects, who he commanded to silence the noise of the waves breaking over then reefs near his cave. To this day, the reef break in the Rakiraki district is considered the quietest on the island. The legend of the Raki Raki reefs 2010 Edited extract from the publication The 11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, QAGOMA, 2024 Asia Pacific Triennial Extended View these works at QAG until 29 June Asia Pacific Triennial 30 November 2024 – 27 April 2025 Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) Brisbane, Australia Free entry

Indonesian printmaker Muhlis Lugis’s large-scale woodcuts explore his cultural heritage by reflecting and recontextualising aspects of Bugis customs, philosophy and mythology. Grounded in the teachings and culture of the Bugis community of South Sulawesi, his meticulous compositions reaffirm the significance of cultural practice and identity amid the ever-changing landscape of Indonesian society. Throughout the artists 'Sangiang Serri (Goddess of Rice)' series of works, Lugis illustrates significant events and rituals dedicated to the rice goddess detailed in the influential epic Bugis narrative La Galigo. Sangiang Serri (Entertaining the Sangiang Serri) 2021 (illustrated) portrays the Buginese appadendang ritual, a joyful performance of gratitude for abundant harvests. An important expression of cultural identity, the ceremony consists of beating a lesung (mortar) and alu (pestle) in dendang (rhythm) to produce a beat pleasing to the goddess, which forms the musical accompaniment to the Padendang dancers. The observance of Mappadendang is a significant community gathering of unity and cultural celebration Sangiang Serri (Entertaining the Sangiang Serri) 2021 In Sangiang Serri Bersemayam di Lumbung (Sangiang Serri Resides in the Barn) 2021 (illustrated), Sangiang Serri’s loyal feline companion Meong Mpalo Karellae guards the goddess in the rakkeang (granary) in the attic of a traditional Buginese house. The tricoloured cat’s persistent loyalty to Sangiang Serri is emblematic of favourable social values within Bugis society. Sangiang Serri Bersemayam di Lumbung (Sangiang Serri Resides in the Barn) 2021 Persembahan Sang Dewi (The Goddess’s Offering) 2021 (illustrated) brings to life in intricate detail the moment of transformation of Sangiang Serri into rice by Dewata Seuwae, the supreme god in the upper world. Persembahan Sang Dewi (The Goddess’s Offering) 2021 Edited extract from the publication The 11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, QAGOMA, 2024 Asia Pacific Triennial Extended View these works at QAG until 29 June Asia Pacific Triennial 30 November 2024 – 27 April 2025 Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) Brisbane, Australia Free entry

Haji Oh's textile installation Seabird Habitats 2022 installed in the eleventh Asia Pacific Triennial, is a single tableau of seven suspended woven panels that map the entanglement of Korean labour in the history of colonialism in the Asia Pacific region. During Japan’s imperial period, Korean subjects were despatched to work in British, German and Japanese colonial territories, from the Izu islands off Japan’s east coast to Queensland’s Torres Strait and Nauru in the Pacific Ocean. Oh layers cyanotypes of historical imagery of these landscapes with the weave of a eucalypt forest near her home in Wollongong, New South Wales. Haji Oh installing Seabird Habitats 2022 A third-generation member of Japan’s Zainichi Korean community and a recent migrant to Australia, Haji Oh uses the techniques and materials of weaving as a platform to explore dispossession, dispersion and migration, and the complexities of personal identity that ensue from these experiences. Seabird hunting and guano mining played significant roles in colonial expansion in the Pacific but destroyed the habitats the birds once flew freely between. With its guano deposits exhausted, Nauru continues to host one of Australia’s controversial offshore processing centres for asylum seekers. Oh proposes weaving as a space where these complexities can be mediated — where past and present can come together and new, less exploitative relationships can be imagined. This project is assisted by the Ishibashi Foundation and the National Center for Art Research, Japan Edited extract from the publication The 11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, QAGOMA, 2024 Asia Pacific Triennial 30 November 2024 – 27 April 2025 Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) Brisbane, Australia Free entry Asia Pacific Triennial Extended View this work at GOMA until 13 July

Lê Thuý is a skilled practitioner of the traditional Vietnamese arts of silk and lacquer painting, highlighting their beauty and their cultural and religious value, while subtly commenting on contemporary issues. The multi-part installation Echo 2024 installed in the eleventh Asia Pacific Triennial, evokes a ruined house. The work began with the recovery of nine doors from a dismantled house in the historical town of Hội An, which the artist has delicately painted in red lacquer and gold foiling, incorporating references to history, memento mori narratives and pan-Asian religions. At the centre of the doors is a single shadowy figure with multiple arms, representing Guanyin, the Buddhist goddess of mercy and the mother goddess of Đao Mâu spiritual beliefs, which are deeply rooted in Vietnamese culture. The plants featured have been selected for their symbolic meanings, from those used in medicine or poisons to those embodying prosperity and beauty (the peony) or high moral character (bamboo). On one side are images of war and disaster, on the other dreams and hopes. Translucent suspended silk paintings complete the installation, depicting interiors with family shrines, memorabilia and architectural embellishments, capturing the moral values and aspirations of former occupants. The transience of memory and vulnerability of heritage are at the heart of Lê Thuý’s project, further signalled by broken bricks adorned with gold details. In the artist’s words: ‘It is my hope that through this exploration, we may find beauty in the overlooked and meaning in the forgotten.’ Echo alludes to the loss of cultural heritage in a society motivated only by economic prosperity and self-interest. This project is supported by the Commonwealth through the Office for the Arts, part of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts. Edited extract from the publication The 11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, QAGOMA, 2024 Asia Pacific Triennial 30 November 2024 – 27 April 2025 Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) Brisbane, Australia Free entry Asia Pacific Triennial Extended View this work at GOMA until 13 July