A lot has happened since the last Asia Pacific Triennial in 2021, when it opened, quietly, during Covid border lockdowns in Queensland. Besides a global pandemic, Trump won a second term, two major wars have erupted, and climate change has marched grimly onwards, with countless extreme weather events and temperature records broken. Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that the billboard announcing the 11th Asia Pacific Triennial is emblazoned with the optimistic slogan: “Art that lifts you up”.
Does it, though? Should it? The triennial, now open at Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (Qagoma) in Meanjin/Brisbane, certainly has some positive energy; featuring more than 500 works, by about 70 individual artists and collectives, there’s a sense of resurgence. There’s optimism, too – but it’s the quiet kind. Across the exhibition, which spans both of Qagoma’s buildings, there’s a sense of artists turning inwards and “tending their gardens”: focusing on community, country and cosmos, and the acts of connection and care needed to nurture these.
The big humanitarian, environmental and political crises, when they are addressed, tend to be implied rather than expressed. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning This focus on community and care has resulted in some gently joyous works – and even a literal garden. At the Queensland Art Gallery building, visitors are greeted in th.
