Three decades of Asia Pacific Triennial on tour

Michel Tuffery, New Zealand b.1966 / Povi tau vaga (The challenge) 1999 / Aluminium, pinewood, corn beef tins and rivets with Mini DV: 2:43 minutes, colour, stereo / Two sculptures: 190 x 308 x 96cm; two sculptures: 59 x 109 x 38cm / Purchased 1999. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Michel Tuffery

Michel Tuffery, New Zealand b.1966 / Povi tau vaga (The challenge) 1999 / Aluminium, pinewood, corn beef tins and rivets with Mini DV: 2:43 minutes, colour, stereo / Two sculptures: 190 x 308 x 96cm; two sculptures: 59 x 109 x 38cm / Purchased 1999. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Michel Tuffery / View full image

Experience highlights from our long-running Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT) series of exhibitions, when ‘Asia Pacific Contemporary: Three Decades of APT’ featuring works of art commissioned or collected from APT1 (1993) through to APT9 (2018) tours Queensland from December 2021 until July 2024.

‘Asia Pacific Contemporary’ profiles key moments which has contributed so much to our audience’s engagement with and understanding of contemporary art and culture in the region and also underscores the success of the APT’s role in QAGOMA’s collection development strategies, highlighting internationally significant works by leading artists dating from the 1980s to the present day.

The exhibition includes works in a diversity of media including painting, sculpture, works on paper, video and performance, reflecting APT’s embrace of contemporary art in all its forms, ranging from the ceremonial to the conceptual, and the deeply personal to the resolutely social. These vibrant and innovative works encompass diverse customary practices and cultural encounters, and illustrate extraordinary social change over almost thirty years.

Michel Tuffery (New Zealand)

APT3 collaboration performance artwork between Michel Tuffery and Patrice Kaikilekofe

Lee Wen (Singapore)

Lee Wen, Singapore b.1957 / Journey of a yellow man no. 13: Fragmented bodies/shifting ground 1999 / Videotape: 10:30 minutes, colour, stereo / Purchased 2000. Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Estate of Lee Wen

Lee Wen, Singapore b.1957 / Journey of a yellow man no. 13: Fragmented bodies/shifting ground 1999 / Videotape: 10:30 minutes, colour, stereo / Purchased 2000. Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Estate of Lee Wen / View full image

APT3 performance artwork by Lee Wen

Lorraine Connelly-Northey (Australia)

Lorraine Connelly-Northey , Waradgerie people , Australia b.1962 / Narbong 2012 / Rusted reinforcing mesh and steel irrigation pipe / 160 x 170 x 15cm / Purchased 2012. Queensland Art Gallery and Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Lorraine Connelly-Northey

Lorraine Connelly-Northey , Waradgerie people , Australia b.1962 / Narbong 2012 / Rusted reinforcing mesh and steel irrigation pipe / 160 x 170 x 15cm / Purchased 2012. Queensland Art Gallery and Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Lorraine Connelly-Northey / View full image

Tomoko Kashiki (Japan)

Tomoko Kashiki , Japan b.1982 / I am a rock 2012 / Synthetic polymer paint, masking tape on linen on plywood / 162 x 227.5cm / The Kenneth and Yasuko Myer Collection of Contemporary Asian Art. Purchased 2013 with funds from Michael Sidney Myer through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Tomoko Kashiki

Tomoko Kashiki , Japan b.1982 / I am a rock 2012 / Synthetic polymer paint, masking tape on linen on plywood / 162 x 227.5cm / The Kenneth and Yasuko Myer Collection of Contemporary Asian Art. Purchased 2013 with funds from Michael Sidney Myer through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Tomoko Kashiki / View full image

Risham Syed (Pakistan)

Risham Syed, Pakistan b.1969 / Untitled 4 (from ‘Lahore’ series) 2015 / Synthetic polymer paint on canvas on aluminium / 10.2 x 15.3cm / Purchased 2015. Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Risham Syed

Risham Syed, Pakistan b.1969 / Untitled 4 (from ‘Lahore’ series) 2015 / Synthetic polymer paint on canvas on aluminium / 10.2 x 15.3cm / Purchased 2015. Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Risham Syed / View full image

Zheng Guogu (China)

Zheng Guogu, China, b.1970 / Grand Visionary Transformation of Hevajra 2016 / Oil on canvas / 197 x 134cm / The Kenneth and Yasuko Myer Collection of Contemporary Asian Art / Purchased 2017 with funds from Michael Sidney Myer through the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Zheng Guogu

Zheng Guogu, China, b.1970 / Grand Visionary Transformation of Hevajra 2016 / Oil on canvas / 197 x 134cm / The Kenneth and Yasuko Myer Collection of Contemporary Asian Art / Purchased 2017 with funds from Michael Sidney Myer through the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Zheng Guogu / View full image

Idas Losin (Taiwan)

Idas Losin, Taiwan b.1976 / Floating 2017 / Oil on canvas / 135 x 179cm / Purchased 2019. Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Idas Losin

Idas Losin, Taiwan b.1976 / Floating 2017 / Oil on canvas / 135 x 179cm / Purchased 2019. Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Idas Losin / View full image

Venues 2021-2024

Noosa Regional Gallery / 10 December 2021 – 27 February 2022
Logan Art Gallery / 4 March – 16 April 2022
Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery / 7 May – 3 July 2022
John Mullins Memorial Art Gallery, Dogwood Crossing, Miles / 9 July – 20 August 2022
Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery / 10 September – 30 October 2022
Artspace Mackay / 2 December 2022 – 5 February 2023
Cairns Art Gallery / 18 February – 16 April 2023
Caboolture Regional Art Gallery / 6 May – 22 July 2023
Redland Art Gallery / 20 August – 8 October 2023
Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville / 4 November 2023 – 20 January 2024
Gladstone Regional Art Gallery & Museum / 3 February – 20 April 2024
Hervey Bay Regional Gallery / 4 May – 14 July 2024

‘Asia Pacific Contemporary: Three Decades of APT’ commences its tour during the opening week of ‘The 10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art’, showing in Brisbane from 4 December 2021 to 26 April 2022, and is presented in parallel with regional touring exhibitions ‘Asia Pacific Video’ and ‘APT10 Kids on Tour’.

Featured image: Michel Tuffery, New Zealand b.1966 / Povi tau vaga (The challenge) 1999 / Aluminium, pinewood, corn beef tins and rivets with Mini DV: 2:43 minutes, colour, stereo / Two sculptures: 190 x 308 x 96cm; two sculptures: 59 x 109 x 38cm / Purchased 1999. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Michel Tuffery

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    Twentieth anniversary of APT: Michel Tuffery’s raging bull

    Michel Tuffery and Patrice Kaikilekofe’s artist performance Povi tau vaga (The challenge) 1999 Night falls. Under the cloak of darkness there descends a circular wall of rhythmic drumming, drawing audiences to a cleared patch of ground on which an event will take place. In this space, male and female dancers from the islands of Wallis and Futuna, as well as local performers from the Samoan and Australian Aboriginal communities, move in lithe movements, facing each other off, keeping up with the fast-paced, strenuous pounding of skin and tin. In the centre of this arena which speaks both to sports stadiums and village ceremonial spaces found across the Pacific, a challenge is to be enacted. Beating, twirling fire sticks and rhythmic movement stir the emotions, engaging the body and stimulating the sense of awe to be expected when the challengers arrive. At the heart of this performance is the bare-chested New Zealand/Samoan artist Michel Tuffery, sporting a traditional pe’a (tattoo). Collaborating with New Zealand/Futuna musician Patrice Kaikilekofe, Michel has manifested this challenge as part of his participation in APT3 in 1999, and like any sponsor of a ceremony, stands right within the action directing its progress. Michel Tuffery artist interview. The challengers are in fact two articulated, life-sized bulls created by Tuffery from corned-beef tins, a nod towards the impact of commodities introduced into Pacific communities. Having already completed a spectacular ‘run’ from the Gallery to West End and back, and shooting fire from their nostrils, the bulls are pushed at each other at breakneck speed, with a vehemence worthy of the rugby field. The clashing of metal, the shouts of the challengers as they push these mighty animals, and the sound of the crowd merge together to create an embodied roar. With this work, Tuffery and Kaikilekofe draw on the continued importance of ritualised performance and spectacle as a way to comment on social tensions within Islander communities. Tuffery’s bulls also speak of the major ecological and dietary problems that result from global trade and colonial economies. For more videos on ‘The Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT)’ visit QAGOMA TV
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    11th Asia Pacific Triennial for kids tours throughout Queensland

    Fun and interactive, families and children across Queensland can experience free hands-on art-making activities with the 11th Asia Pacific Triennial Kids on Tour, presented during the eleventh edition of QAGOMA’s flagship Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art in Brisbane, including Asia Pacific Triennial Kids in the Children’s Art Centre, Gallery of Modern Art. Beginning 16 December 2024 in Cairns Art Gallery and Croydon Shire Library, then from 1 January 2025 in more than 180 communities from all 77 Queensland Council areas over 220 venues throughout the state. Seven different artist-designed activities connect young visitors and families with cultures from across Asia and the Pacific, offering younger audiences firsthand experiences with the ideas of artists. The 11th Asia Pacific Triennial Kids on Tour brings together a range of activities that celebrate the rich diversity of customs from across the region and includes activities developed in collaboration with artists Dana Awartani (Saudi Arabia/Palestine), Etson Caminha (Timor‑Leste), Harold ‘Egn’ Eswar (Malaysia), Brett Graham (Aotearoa New Zealand), Okui Lala (Malaysia), Yim Maline (Cambodia) and Rithika Merchant (India). Dana Awartani Unity within Multiplicity is an activity based on Zellij tile designs — a style of mosaic traditionally found in North African and Spanish architecture and created by arranging small pieces of coloured tile into geometric patterns — in this activity children can create repeating patterns using coloured pencils and geometric templates. Download Unity within Multiplicity activity Go behind-the-scenes as we install Dana Awartani's intricate floor installation at the Queensland Art Gallery Etson Caminha My Kitchen Sounds invites children to experiment with their own sound composition and make music with materials found in the home. When the artist was a child, making music using recycled materials was a source of happiness and fun. Today, he creates sound-based artworks using natural elements, Timorese instruments and electronic equipment. Play My Kitchen Sounds Harold ‘Egn’ Eswar Monster of Wants invites children to create a drawing of a monster that expresses the things they most desire. The artist often draws inspiration from street art to explore personal stories and memories through drawing. Yim Maline A Dream for the Future prompts children to make a drawing that reflects what they dream for the future. The artist creates sculptures from found fabrics which explore her connection with nature. Rithika Merchant If the seeds chose where to grow encourages children to shape a new world by adding elements such as living beings, plants and celestial bodies to a digital or drawn landscape. The artist creates paintings and collages that explore the idea of ‘terraformation’, or ‘Earth-shaping’ — the theoretical process of making a planet fit for human life. Brett Graham In Wakuwaku, children are asked to consider the natural environment where they live and to be inspired by it when designing their own pattern to apply to the surface of two custom template shapes. The artist creates large-scale sculptures and installations that feature traditional Māori patterns. Okui Lala Children can also enjoy two video works featuring bilingual and multilingual students from Brisbane’s West End State School. The artist creates video works exploring language and what is lost or changed when words are translated from one language to another. Participating Venues: 1 January – 30 June 2025 Visit our website for the 11th Asia Pacific Triennial Kids on Tour for a list of venues or the participating location for further details: Aurukun Shire Balonne Shire Council Banana Shire Barcaldine Regional Council Barcoo Shire Council Blackall Tambo Regional Council Boulia Shire Council Bulloo Shire Council Bundaberg Regional Council Burdekin Regional Council Burke Shire Council Cairns Regional Council Camooweal State School Carpentaria Council Cassowary Coast Region Central Highlands Regional Council Charters Towers Regional Council Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Cloncurry Shire Council Cook Shire Croydon Shire Council Diamantina Shire Council Doomadgee Aboriginal Council Doomadgee State School Douglas Shire Council Etheridge Shire Flinders Shire Council Fraser Coast Regional Council Gladstone Regional Council Gold Coast City Council Goondiwindi Regional Council Gympie Regional Council Hinchinbrook Shire Council Hope Vale Aboriginal Shire Council Ipswich City Council Isaac Regional Council Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council Livingston Shire Council Lockhart River Aboriginal Shire Council Lockyer Valley Regional Council Logan City Council Longreach Regional Council Mackay Regional Council Mapoon Aboriginal Council Maranoa Regional Council Mareeba Shire Council Moreton Bay Regional Council Mornington Shire Mount Isa City Mount Isa City Library Murweh Shire Council Napranum Aboriginal Shire Council Noosa Regional Council North Burnett Regional Council Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council Paroo Shire Council Pormpuraaw Aboriginal Shire Council Quilpie Shire Council Redland City Council Library Services Richmond Shire Council Rockhampton Regional Council Scenic Rim Region Somerset Regional Council South Burnett Regional Council Southern Downs Regional Council Sunshine Coast Regional Council Tablelands Regional Council Toowoomba Regional Council Torres Shire Council Torres Strait Island Regional Council Townsville City Council Western Downs Regional Council Whitsundays Region Council Winton Shire Woorabinda Aboriginal Shire Council Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council Asia Pacific Triennial Kids on Tour is supported by APT Kids Principal Benefactor, the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation. Art that goes everywhere Asia Pacific Triennial Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art 30 November 2024 – 27 April 2025
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