Rosanna Raymond’s SaVAge K’lub project is an installation space that is activated by various K’lub members over the course of the ‘The 8th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art’ (APT8) exhibition. The project’s title refers to a historical gentlemen’s club first established in London in the nineteenth century.

Watch | Rosanna Raymond’s SaVAge K’lub

Raymond’s version draws on the cultural stereotype and decor of such exclusive institutions, displaying historical artworks and images alongside newly created works and performances. The gendered, elitist aspect of the club is entirely removed, as indicated by Raymond’s reworking of the title. The ‘VA’ in SaVAge refers to a Samoan philosophical understanding of space as ‘active’, not as empty and passive, but activated by people, relationships and reciprocal obligations. Raymond’s SaVAge K’lub is enlivened by Pacific artists and local communities who have created new artworks, spoken word and performance artworks. These events re-invigorate the objects on display beyond the confines of a museum exhibit, allowing them to participate in the life of the community.

SaVAge K’lub project

Participants include: Margaret Aull, Jess Holly Bates, Eric Bridgeman, Salvador Brown, Emine Burke, Precious Clark, Croc Coulter, Lisa Fa’alafi, Charlotte Graham, Mark James Hamilton, Katrina Igglesden, Jimmy Kouratoras, Numangatini MacKenzie, Ani O’Neill, Maryann Talia Pau, Tahiarii Pariente, Aroha Rawson, Rosanna Raymond, Reina and Molana Sutton, David Siliga Setoga, Grace Taylor, Niwhai Tupaea, Suzanne and Rameka Tamaki and Jo Walsh.

The Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT) is the Gallery’s flagship exhibition focused on the work of Asia, the Pacific and Australia / Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / 21 November 2015 – 10 April 2016

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