Introduction

The Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT) is Australia's flagship international contemporary art event and remains the only major exhibition series in the world to focus exclusively on the contemporary art of Asia, the Pacific, and Australia. Established in 1993, the APT has become a vital platform for cultural dialogue and artistic exchange across this vast and diverse region.

Presented by the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) in Brisbane, the Triennial transforms both gallery buildings every three years with a bold, forward-thinking approach to examining how contemporary artists address questions of geography, history, and culture. Each edition reconsiders the complexity of the region through new curatorial perspectives and artistic voices.

The APT is distinguished by its extensive acquisition program and commissioning focus, allowing the Gallery to build one of the world's most significant collections of contemporary Asian and Pacific art in tandem with the exhibition series. With each iteration attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors, the Triennial offers audiences unparalleled access to the most exciting and important developments in contemporary art from Australia's neighboring regions.

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Crossing Oceanic Divides: How the Asia Pacific Triennial Transformed Australia's Cultural Landscape

On a sweltering Brisbane morning in 1993, a small team of curators watched nervously as artists from Papua New Guinea, Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia installed their works in the Queensland Art Gallery. The inaugural Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT) was a leap into uncharted waters, a bold institutional gamble that would challenge not only Australian audiences' perceptions of contemporary Asian art but also fundamentally reshape the country's cultural self-conception in relation to its geographical neighbors.

"We were operating in what was essentially a vacuum," recalls Doug Hall, then director of the Queensland Art Gallery and the driving force behind the APT's creation. "Australian institutions had presented Asian art before, but primarily through historical or traditional lenses. Contemporary artistic practices from our nearest neighbors were virtually invisible to Australian audiences." This invisibility was symptomatic of a broader cultural disconnect—despite Australia's geographical position, its arts institutions had historically oriented themselves toward Europe and North America, reinforcing what cultural theorists had long termed "the cultural cringe."

The APT emerged at a pivotal moment in Australia's geopolitical reorientation. Paul Keating, Prime Minister at the time, was championing closer engagement with Asia as central to Australia's future economic and cultural prosperity. Yet while economic and diplomatic ties were strengthening, cultural connections remained underdeveloped. It was in this context that the inaugural APT presented works by 76 artists from countries including Thailand, South Korea, Indonesia, and Japan—nations that would later become significant trading partners and cultural collaborators with Australia.

The early Triennials faced considerable challenges. Western art world hierarchies had long marginalized Asian contemporary art, and institutional knowledge about the region's diverse artistic practices was limited. The curatorial team undertook extensive field research, establishing networks that would grow over subsequent decades. "We were learning as we went," says Caroline Turner, who served as deputy director of the Gallery during the first three APTs. "There was no roadmap for this type of engagement. We had to create new methodologies for cross-cultural curating."

Unlike the established biennials in Venice and São Paulo, which organize representation along national lines in pavilions, the APT pioneered a more fluid approach that emphasized thematic and conceptual connections across borders. This structure reflected the curators' recognition of the limitations of nation-state frameworks in a region characterized by complex colonial histories, diasporic communities, and transnational cultural flows.

The impact of this curatorial innovation rippled beyond Australia. By the early 2000s, the APT had become a model for institutions worldwide seeking to engage with art from outside the Western canon. Its influence can be seen in the dramatic increase in Asian and Pacific representation at global exhibitions like Documenta and the Venice Biennale, as well as in the proliferation of new biennials across Asia itself.

Perhaps the most tangible legacy of the APT is QAGOMA's collection. Unlike many temporary exhibitions, the APT was conceived from the beginning as a collection-building enterprise. Works acquired through the Triennial now form one of the world's most comprehensive holdings of contemporary Asian and Pacific art. Transformative acquisitions like Cai Guo-Qiang's "Bridge Crossing" (APT3, 1999) and Yayoi Kusama's "Narcissus Garden" (APT4, 2002) have become defining works in the collection, while ambitious commissions have supported the creation of new work by artists across the region.

The APT's impact extended beyond the visual arts through its pioneering educational programming. The Children's Art Centre, which commissions interactive projects specifically for younger audiences, has become a model for engaging diverse audiences with challenging contemporary art. Likewise, the Australian Cinémathèque's APT film programs have introduced Australian audiences to the rich cinematic traditions of the region, from Japanese new wave to emerging Southeast Asian directors.

By its 10th edition in 2021, the APT had welcomed over 4 million visitors, making it one of Australia's most successful recurring cultural events. More significantly, it had transformed how Australian audiences engage with art from the region, cultivating a sophisticated and informed viewership. "When we started, visitors often approached Asian art through exoticizing frames," notes Tarun Nagesh, current Curatorial Manager of Asian and Pacific Art at QAGOMA. "Today, our audiences engage with these works with nuance and contextual understanding."

As the APT approaches its 30th anniversary, its founding vision seems remarkably prescient. In an era of geopolitical realignment and cultural reckonings, the project of fostering deep engagement with Australia's regional neighbors feels more urgent than ever. What began as an institutional experiment has evolved into something more profound: a sustained platform for cultural exchange that has not only reshaped Australia's engagement with contemporary Asian and Pacific art but also influenced how institutions worldwide think about cross-cultural curatorial practice. In crossing oceanic divides, the APT has helped chart a new cultural geography for the 21st century.

Curatorial Vision

Rather than imposing a single overarching theme, each edition of the APT approaches the diversity of the Asia-Pacific region through multiple conceptual frameworks and lines of inquiry. This approach acknowledges the impossibility of representing such vast cultural terrain through any single curatorial narrative, instead creating a polyphonic exhibition that reveals connections and contrasts between different artistic perspectives.

Nevertheless, several recurring themes have emerged across the APT's history, reflecting persistent concerns and creative approaches in contemporary art practice throughout the region:

The 11th edition of the APT (2024-25) continues this thematic multiplicity while placing particular emphasis on how we care for natural and urban environments, protect and revive cultural heritage, and explore how histories of migration and labor shape contemporary experience. By weaving together these diverse conceptual threads, the Triennial creates a rich tapestry of artistic expression that reflects the complexity and dynamism of the Asia-Pacific region today.

History & Legacy

The Asia Pacific Triennial emerged at a pivotal moment in Australia's cultural orientation toward its geographic region. In the early 1990s, as Australia was increasingly recognizing its economic and political connections to Asia, there was a corresponding cultural shift toward deeper engagement with its neighbors. The APT was conceived by Doug Hall, then Director of the Queensland Art Gallery, as a bold initiative to address the lack of institutional focus on contemporary Asian art in Western museums.

What began as an ambitious exhibition in 1993 has evolved into a cornerstone of Australian cultural life and a significant event on the international art calendar. The success of the APT played a crucial role in the development of Queensland Art Gallery's second site, the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), which opened in 2006 to provide expanded space for presenting the Triennial and housing the growing collection of contemporary Asian and Pacific art.

Throughout its history, the APT has continuously evolved its approach to regional engagement, gradually expanding its geographic scope, developing innovative exhibition formats, and deepening its involvement with diverse artistic communities. From an initial focus on East and Southeast Asia, the exhibition has grown to encompass the entire Asia-Pacific region, including Central Asia, the Middle East, and the Pacific Islands, reflecting the complex and fluid nature of regional identities and cultural connections.

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Distinctive Programs

Institutional Approach

The Asia Pacific Triennial has evolved a distinctive institutional approach that sets it apart from other international art exhibitions. Rather than following the common model of appointing independent guest curators, the APT is developed through an in-house curatorial team with specialized knowledge of the region, working in close collaboration with artists, advisors, and communities throughout Asia and the Pacific.

This approach has enabled QAGOMA to build long-term relationships and deep expertise that extends beyond the exhibition cycle. The Gallery has developed substantial networks across the region, facilitating ongoing research, cultural exchange, and institutional partnerships that inform both the Triennial and broader collection development strategies.

At the core of the APT's institutional philosophy is a commitment to presenting contemporary art in ways that respect its cultural contexts while fostering cross-cultural dialogue. This means working closely with artists to realize ambitious projects, engaging with local knowledge systems, and creating platforms where multiple perspectives can coexist.

This institutional approach has positioned the APT as more than just a recurring exhibition—it represents an ongoing project of cultural engagement that has significantly influenced how Australian audiences understand their place within the Asia-Pacific region, while also contributing to international dialogue around contemporary art practice in these diverse cultural contexts.