The photographic series ‘Blood Generation’ is born out of the people of Bougainville’s ongoing grief over the loss of their land as the result of mining interests. When Bougainville artist Taloi Havini talks about this history, she speaks passionately of the violent turning of earth to which they belonged, the earth that sustained her people for…
In June 2014, QAGOMA Director Chris Saines and I embarked on a three-country tour of mainland South-East Asia, landing first in a hot and wet Phnom Penh. We received a very warm welcome from the small but tight-knit art community, the members of which accompanied us to openings, talks, performances, dinners, tours of iconic local…
Continue reading » “APT8 One Year Out: Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar”
Though hampered by ambiguous diplomatic status with regard to mainland China, and somewhat overshadowed by the meteoric rise of Chinese art in international estimations, Taiwan possesses a rich and complex contemporary art scene. The country’s position as one of the Four Asian Tiger economies, and the flourishing of civil society after martial law was wound…
India has remained a pivotal part of the history of the APT. April last year, I travelled to India with Maud Page, Deputy Director, Collection and Exhibitions during the Indian general election, the largest election in human history, eager to see what was new and hoping to reach outside the art centres of Mumbai and…
China remains a focus in our research toward APT8, but, as with anything regarding this remarkable country at this point in its history, the focus is shifting and broadening. Beijing and Shanghai remain the centres of Chinese contemporary art, but as the cost of living in these two megacities continues its dramatic rise, distinctive artistic…
QAGOMA’s Asian and Pacific Art curators travelled the region last year to conduct research, meet with local artists and discuss projects for the upcoming Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art. In the lead-up to APT8 in November, each curator provides a brief synopsis of their experiences to date. After two decades, the Asia Pacific Triennial…
Continue reading » “APT8 One Year Out: Hong Kong, South Korea”
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art stands and recognise the creative contribution First Australians make to the art and culture of this country.