10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art prepares to open at QAGOMA

APT10 Thasnai Sethaseree It's unclearly clear as yet incomplete (detail) 2017-21Anticipation is building as major works by artists Rocky Cajigan (Philippines), Chong Kim Chiew (Malaysia) Alia Farid (Kuwait), Brian Fuata (Aotearoa/Australia), I Made Djirna (Indonesia), Jumaadi (Indonesia/Australia), Vipoo Srivilasa (Thailand/Australia) are set to be revealed at the 10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT10) at the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) this weekend.

“Since its first edition almost 30 years ago, APT has established an international reputation as a challenging and dynamic exhibition, highlighting the most exciting developments in contemporary art from across our culturally diverse region,” said QAGOMA Director Chris Saines.

“Presented at both QAG and GOMA and including recent and newly-commissioned works, APT involves a great depth of research by the Gallery’s in-house curators working closely with a broad network of artists and specialists across an expansive geography.”

“APT10 is full of stories of travel, journeys, migrations and connections to place. It’s layered with responses, questions and ideas about the present moment, the many issues facing humanity, and propositions towards the future from a diversity of cultural perspectives. It includes works of art that are by turn highly personal, deeply political, and full of joy.”

“With the global impact of COVID-19, APT10 has presented logistical challenges, but it has also been exceptionally rewarding to see how artists work through such tremendous change. It has necessitated new approaches to exhibition-making, and we’ve worked virtually with artists, advisors and collaborators to facilitate exchanges and outcomes from afar.”

“More than ever before, community and collaboration is a major feature of this Triennial with many artists achieving ambitious results through working with groups or as part of collectives, such as the Bajau Sama Dilaut people in Sabah Borneo, Gidree Bawlee Foundation of Arts in north-western Bangladesh and Seleka International Arts Society Initiative in Tonga.”

Mr Saines said the Gallery’s research arm, the Australian Centre for Asian and Pacific Art (ACAPA) had provided the framework for new initiatives that will further broaden community engagement – supported by the Australian Government through the Office for the Arts.

“The ACAPA Pacifika Community Engagement Project, created with a dynamic team of ten local Pacific Islanders, and five community groups in south-east Queensland, has informed the way Pasifika projects in the exhibition are presented, broadened relationships and translated artwork labels into Pacific languages,” he said.

“The development of APT10 has also played host to the inaugural Creative New Zealand Pacific Curator Residency (Australia) with Auckland-based artist and curator Natasha Matila-Smith and includes learning initiatives driven by artist-in-residence Brian Fuata.”

APT10 Kimiyo Mishima Box Orange 19 2019The 10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT10) will include 69 projects with new and recent work by emerging and established artists and collectives, together comprising more than 150 individuals from 30 countries. It includes works of art that are by turn highly personal, deeply political, and full of joy.

Including major new and recently commissioned works, APT involves a great depth of research by the Gallery’s in-house curators working collaboratively with a network of artists across wide and diverse geographies from Australia and the Asia Pacific region. Highlights of the 10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art include:

  • Vipoo Srivilasa’s immersive, participatory installation Shrine of Life/ Benjapakee Shrine 2021, featuring five hand-crafted ceramic deities representing attributes important to the artist: identity, love equality, creativity, security and spirituality. Finished with gold lustre and floral embellishments, the work reflects Srivilasa’s holistic approach to life, and encourages audiences to appreciate the things that unite us.
  • Hairloom 2021, a dramatic, newly commissioned ten metre-long loom of human hair by Rocky Cajigan, reflecting the artist’s personal history and exploration of the material, culture, indigeneity and museology of the Cordillera region of the Philippines
  • A series of enormous sculptural vessels in fibreglass and synthetic resin by Kuwait City and San Juan, Puerto Rico-based artist Alia Farid, offering a poignant message about the ever-increasing issue of water scarcity across West Asia.
  • Senior Balinese artist I Made Djirna’s dense, cave-like environment created from found, natural materials, a work strongly informed by the artist’s Balinese culture, ritual and landscape.
  • A new series of large-scale paintings by Indonesian-Australian artist Jumaadi, created on delicate cloth prepared by artisans in Indonesia and illustrating the unique storytelling of the artists that reflect on emotions ranging from love and human relationships to displacement and isolation.
  • New work by Chong Kim Chiew, including a towering installation of maps painted directly onto tarpaulin, expressing a compulsive reorientation of the geographic and political topography of Malaysia and its Southeast Asian neighbours.

APT10-Vipoo-Srivilasa-Shrine-of-Life-Benjapakee-Shrine-(detail)-2021Minister for the Arts Leeanne Enoch said the Queensland Government was a founding supporter of the Asia Pacific Triennial (APT), which showcases and celebrates the diverse arts and cultures of the Asia Pacific region.

“The Palaszczuk Government’s continued investment in the APT has enabled QAGOMA to build a truly outstanding event of international significance bringing communities together with powerful voices telling their own stories,” said Minister Enoch.

“Over the past nine exhibitions, the Asia Pacific Triennial has attracted more than 3.7 million visitors, which is great news for local tourism. Most recently, APT9 alone attracted 718,000 visits, contributing almost $35 million to Queensland’s economy and generating more than 288,000 visitor nights.”

“The arts are key to delivering our plan for economic recovery from COVID-19, each year contributing $8.5 billion to the state’s economy and supporting more than 92,000 jobs for Queenslanders,” said Minister Enoch.

The expansive, free exhibition will incorporate a multi-strand APT10 Cinema program, seven interactive artist projects for children and families as part of APT10 Kids, a two-night Up Late program in 2022 and a full-colour publication.


10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT10)
Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), Stanley Place, South Brisbane
Exhibition: 4 December 2021 – 25 April 2022
Free entry

For more information, visit: www.qagoma.qld.gov.au for details.

Image 1: Thasnai Sethaseree, Thailand b. 1968. It’s unclearly clear, as yet incomplete (detail) 2017-21 Paper collage, Buddhist monk robes, urethane, metal 3 parts: 400 x 800 cm (each). Commissioned for APT10 Purchased 2021 with funds from Metamorphic Foundation through the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation Image courtesy: the artist © Thasnai Sethaseree

Image 2: Kimiyo Mishima, Japan b. 1932. Box Orange 19, 2019 Silkscreen and hand-painted on ceramic 39 x 43.5 x 33 cm © Kimiyo Mishima, Courtesy of the artist and MEM, Tokyo

Image 3: Vipoo Srivilasa, Thailand/Australia b.1969 Shrine of Life / Benjapakee Shrine (detail) 2021 Mixed-media installation with five ceramic deities Installed dimensions variable Commissioned for APT10 / Purchased 2021 with funds from the Contemporary Patrons through the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art – photo by Simon Strong © Vipoo Srivilasa