The Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art returns to QAGOMA this weekend for its 11th year
It’s that time again. After three fleeting years, QAGOMA’s fiercely anticipated flagship event The Asia Pacific Triennial will make its grand return this weekend. From November 30, more than 500 artworks by artists from more than 30 countries will be showcased across the hallowed cultural precinct in the latest edition of this beloved series. Keep reading to find out more …
Since its debut in 1993, The Asia Pacific Triennial has produced some of the state’s most prolific moments in art. From the premiere of Yayoi Kusama’s ‘obliteration room’ to the gold-hued sensation of Richard Maloy’s ‘Big Yellow’, APT has cemented QAGOMA’s status amidst the world’s leading art institutions, beckoning a stellar line-up of artists to Brisbane throughout the years. Suffice it to say – APT11 has its sights set on continuing this legacy.
“Layered with responses, questions and ideas about the present moment, the Triennial explores the many issues facing humanity and looks towards the future from a vast array of cultural perspectives,” shares QAGOMA director Chris Saines.
Suspended tunnels, cascading curtains and poignant portraiture: what to expect from the triennial’s 11th edition
APT11 encompasses a rich range of artworks, cinema screenings, conversations and live music as well as a brand-new display at QAGOMA’s world-famous Children’s Art Centre. Over the past three years, QAGOMA’s specialist curatorial team, led by Tarun Nagesh, has worked to select a diverse and dynamic range of artworks as the event forays into a new decade. “The eleventh chapter will … include works produced across vast geographies and cultural contexts,” explains Tarun. “[This is set to] offer audiences a multiplicity of experiences, perspectives and diverse approaches to both contemporary and community-based customary art practices,”
Exhibition attendees can expect to discover a vibrant multi-part project from Haus Yuriyal (a collective of 28 artists from Papua New Guinea), a three-dimensional installation of suspended tunnels, cascading curtains and towering scrolls from leading Thai artist Mit Jai Inn, portraits of everyday life in Hong Kong by senior painter Yeung Tong Lung as well as plenty more installations, paintings, sculptures and multi-disciplinary projects.
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In celebration of the exhibition’s opening weekend, QAGOMA will be ringing in the latest triennial with an array of events to mark the occasion – all of which are free. On Saturday November 30 and Sunday December 1, art lovers have the chance to catch more than 20 artists talks, headlined by the likes of Karla Dickens, Brett Graham, Dawn Ng and many more, in addition to conversations with QAGOMA’s curatorial team. Alongside art events, the precinct will come alive with live music and performance art as well.
QAGOMA’s resident cinema set to explore the region’s fleet of seminal film makers
Australian Cinématique is ushering in the triennial with more than 110 feature, documentary and short films set to be shown across the Gallery’s two screens from November to April. The first program, Tsai Ming‑liang, is already underway, offering an unmissable collection of films from this seminal artist of the second wave of New Taiwan Cinema. On December 1, QAGOMA offers cinephiles the rare opportunity to experience Tsai Ming-liang live in conversation.
On January 10, Future Visions will mark off the cinema’s next program, showcasing a selection of works that fuse science fiction with heritage traditions and ancestral stories. From February, Australian Cinematique will be hosting a slew of acclaimed, yet seldom screened in Australia features, as part of its Children of Independence: The Rise of Central Asian Cinema series (February 12 to March 19, 2025), before closing out the triennial with a retrospective on Ryusuke Hamaguchi. This celebration of the iconic Japanese film maker will crescendo with a screening of Gift (2023) accompanied by live music from musician-composer Eiko Ishibashi, who will then join Satoshi Takata, Gift producer and frequent Hamaguchi collaborator, in conversation on April 27.
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Asia Pacific Triennial Kids welcomes budding art lovers with free hands-on art opportunities
Any art lover can attest that the centre’s kids section is an unmissable component of any QAGOMA exhibition. For The 11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, younger audiences will have the opportunity to connect firsthand with the ideas of this year’s diverse artist cohort. With seven projects developed by artists from Aotearoa New Zealand, Cambodia, India, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia/Palestine and Timor-Leste, Asia Pacific Triennial Kids will explore the themes of community collaboration, innovation and nature.
‘Monster of Wants’ (2024) – collaboration between Harold ‘Egn’ Eswar and the Queensland Art Gallery.
Throughout the exhibition, kids will be able to spy the Asia Pacific Triennial Kids’ mascot Mahu (meaning ‘want’ in Malay) from participating artist Harold ‘Egn’ Eswar’s daughter, Hana. The mascot will help visitors of all ages navigate the broader Asia Pacific Triennial, whilst special labels have been created to engage with the wandering imaginations of kids.
Other interactive experiences include Rithika Merchant’s If the Seeds Chose Where to Grow, a multi-media interactive experience where they can add beings, plants and celestial bodies to a projected landscape, Etson Caminha’s soon-to-be opened My Kitchen Sounds 2024, which invites children to experiment with layering sounds from everyday objects and hands-on making activities by Dana Awartani and Brett Graham.
The Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art will be on display from November 30, 2024 to April 27, 2025. Plan your opening weekend here.
Image one: Kawita Vatanyankur / Thailand b.1987 / Pat Pataranutaporn / United States b.1995 / The Machine Ghost in the Human Shell (from the ‘Cyber Labour’ series) 2024 / Performative hologram projections with AI / Installed dimensions variable / Commissioned for the 11th Asia Pacific Triennial / Courtesy: The artist and Nova Contemporary.
Image two: Mit Jai Inn / Thailand b.1960 / Planes (Electric) (installation view, ‘Encounters’, Art Basel Hong Kong) 2019 / Oil on canvas / Dimensions variable / Image courtesy: The artist and Silverlens, Manila & New York
Image three: Dawn Ng / Singapore b.1982 / WATERFALL VIII (still) 2023 / 4K video: 16:9 (landscape) and 9:16 (portrait), 27:06 minutes / Courtesy: The artist and Sullivan+Strumpf
Image four: D Harding / Bidjara, Ghungalu and Garingbal people / Australia b.1982 / Wool blankets (installation view, ‘We Breathe Together’, Bergen Kunstall, Norway) 2021–22 / Wool felt, pigment, gum arabic / Courtesy: The artist and Milani Gallery, Brisbane