APT 2002: Opening Events and Public Program

Opening Events

APT 2002 Opening Events were held from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 September 2002. Artist and curator talks, talks by Gallery staff, performances (including performances by the Pasifika Divas), keynote lectures, panel discussions, a one-day curators forum and the APT 2002 New Media Workshops ran throughout the period. The Opening Events were presented under the auspices of the Australian Centre of Asia-Pacific Art.

Keynote Lectures

Four keynote lectures were presented during the Opening Events:

• 'Thinking Through Exhibitions: Experimental Chinese Art and Experimental Exhibitions of Chinese Art' by Wu Hung, the Harrie A. Vanderstappen Distinguished Professor, Director, Center for the Art of East Asia and Consulting Curator, Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago, USA
• 'South South South' by Dr Nikos Papastergiadis, Senior Lecturer and Deputy Director of the Australian Centre, University of Melbourne
• 'Soul Textured Stories: Pattern and Text in the Art on Pacific Skin' by Professor Ngahuia Te Awekotuku, Research Associate in the Maori and Psychology Research Unit, University of Waikato, New Zealand
• 'Nam June Paik and Korean Shamanism' by Kim Hong-hee, Director of Ssamzie Space in Seoul and Adjunct Professor in Art History of Hong-ik University, Korea.

New Directions in Curating Forum

The New Directions in Curating Forum was held on 16 September at the Queensland Art Gallery under the auspices of the Australian Centre of Asia-Pacific Art. Australian and international participants met at this one-day forum to discuss current issues in curating and presenting contemporary art. The Australia Council Audience and Market Development Division funded the forum.

Topics and Speakers

What are the significant innovations/directions in recurring international exhibitions?

Chair: Suhanya Raffel Head, of Asian and Pacific Art, Queensland Art Gallery
Wu Hung Director, Center for the Art of East Asia, Chicago
Johan Pijnappel, Former Deputy Director, World Wide Video Festival, The Hague
Nick Waterlow, OAM Director, Ivan Dougherty Gallery, UNSW, Sydney

What strategies are driving the communication of contemporary art? And to whom are we communicating?

Chair: Rhana Devenport, Senior Project Officer, Asia-Pacific Triennial, Queensland Art Gallery
Julianne Pierce, Director, ANAT (Australian Network of Art and Technology), Adelaide
Agung Hujatnika Curator, Selasar Sunaryo Art Centre, Bandung, Indonesia
Craig Judd, Public Programs Manager, Sydney Biennale 2002

What are the key issues in the development and presentation of art outside the mainstream?

Chair: Maud Page, Associate Curator, Contemporary Pacific Art, Queensland Art Gallery
Leafa Janice Wilson, Freelance Curator, Hamilton, New Zealand
Pooja Sood, Coordinator and Curator, KHOJ International Artists Association, New Delhi, India
Pi Li Lecturer, Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing and Curator, The Loft New Media Art Space, Beijing

New Media Workshops

The New Media Workshops, supported by the Australian Centre of Asia-Pacific Art, offered 60 participants the opportunity to work closely with four APT 2002 artists - Heri Dono, Song Dong, Nalini Malani and Lisa Reihana - in an intensive workshop environment. In addition, Johan Pijnappel, new media curator and writer, gave lectures to the participants each week. A total of 17 new video works were created from the workshops, 17-26 September 2002. Presented in collaboration with the Queensland College of Art, Griffith University, the workshops were assisted by the Australia Council, New Media Arts Board.

Public Program

The APT 2002 public program addressed early childhood, family, youth and adult audiences. Expanding on the concept of the APT Lounge of APT3, information on each artist was dispersed through interpretation stations located throughout the exhibition. Forums, performances, activities, lectures, film screenings, workshops and floortalks were presented during the exhibition under three themes: Who am we? Light, time, motion; and Elements and senses.

Kids' APT 2002 and Summer Spectacular

To conclude the exhibition in January 2003, Summer Spectacular was a 15-day event that ran in conjunction with Kids' APT. It consisted of facilitated and self-directed activities for more than 50 000 children (3-12 years) that took immediate inspiration and influence from the art work in APT 2002. Summer Spectacular played with children's senses and their associative powers, while storytelling linked all the activities. APT 2002 artists Song Dong, Heri Dono and Siaosi Mulipola (aka Sha-ne'ne' of the Pasifika Divas) developed projects that engaged children with their art works and performances.

Interactive art works, a free children's activity book and children's labels were available to young visitors throughout APT 2002.