1. Regional Biennales and New Centers Asia 1
Regional Biennales and New Centers Asia 1. Curatorial Discourses: Miriam Eckert 2. Art Centers in Asia: Felix Arias Hück
Contemporary art of Southeast Asia: trajectories, practices, and artworlds WS 11/12

2. Curatorial Discourses
“The curtain is about to close on Asia's modern age when learning from the ‘West’ was insisted upon as an absolute value. In keeping with this, the framework of the ‘modern period’ of Asian art is also being transcended. The advent of a new kind of realism proclaims the start of a new post-modern age in Asia.”
Ushiroshoji Masahiro, the curator of the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum

3. Shift of the curatorial discourse in the 1990s
Artists searched for
new art formats: for example performances, installations and conceptual art
new themes: changing reality of everyday life
Curators searched for
new, anti-euroamerican-centric approaches for interpreting art
 Various terms: realist, postmodern, multimodern

4. Historical background
End of the Cold War
new political, social and economic questions
breakdown of traditional communities  consumer society in urban regions emerged
large economic growth  change in people’s surroundings and environmental problems

5. New forms of art and exhibition
Triennales/Biennales:
New platform for the Asian artists
forum for dialogue and exchange on the newest themes and tendencies
international attention
charged by governmental funds
Strengthened and shifted role of the curator

6. Concepts of Biennales/Triennales:The Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale – The Asia-Pacific Triennial
Fukuoka Asian Art Museum
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane

7. Fukuoka Asian Art Show, founded in 1980, since 1999 Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale
Asia-Pacific-Triennal in Brisbane, Australia, since 1994
Caroline Turner: Cultural Transformations in the Asia-Pacific: The Asia-Pacific-Triennal and the Fukuoka-Triennale compared
Francis Maravillas: Cartographies of the Future: The Asia-Pacific-Triennials and the Curatorial Imaginary

8. Similarities “located at the frontier of Asia” Pioneers
Museum based exhibitions
Audience-centred and artist-driven exhibitions
provincial cities
Education programs/ community interaction with artists
against Euroamerican art discourse

9. The 4th Fokuoka Asian Art Show 1994:
Structure: 18 countries, including Japan, 130 works by 48 artists
The 1st APT 1993:
Structure: 12 countries and Hong Kong, including Australia, 200 works by 76 artists  much more artists and works are presented, but less countries then in The Fukuoka Asian Art Show which emphasizes more on the representation of poorer countries

10. Different curatorial approaches
Fukuoka theme:“Realism as an Attitude”, divided in six categories: society as reality; nation, nationality, and history; the city and consumption; the image of the community; the natural environment; and intimations of violence
APT: no theme, no fixed curatorial position, “neutral point of view”, APT as an facilitator for debate and ideas

11. Asia-Pacific-Triennial
growing awareness of geographical proximity and developing relations with the countries of Asia  Australia is no longer solely a Euro-Americentric-country
forum for cultural exchange and dialogue within the Asian region
audience education, inviting artists, co-curatorship , curatorial teams
Search for a common context, issues of political power an human rights as common themes  critical point: Australia and the Asian region have very different political and social issues
1999: the APT was opened for artist not living in the Asian region  controversial discussion: too few opportunities of the artists within the region  change towards artist as global travelers

12. Fukuoka Asian Art Shows/ Triennales:
overcome Japan’s traditional isolation from Asia
Art Exchange program
educational programs  an understanding of other cultures should be learnt within the local community
recurrent themes: political and social tensions in the Asian countries, Japanese issues are rarely expressed

13. Critic on the APT (Maravillas)
Through the APT Australia, at the geographical edge of the Asian-Pacific region, sets itself in a center position  “privileged curatorial subject”
neutral self-positioning obscures own colonial history which is in large parts very different to the colonial history of other Asian countries, postcolonial issues are too less discussed within the APT

14. Maravillas: postcolonial issues are still relevant, the Asia-Pacific-Triennal obscures the ongoing relations of hierarchy and asymmetry in Australia’s contemporary relations with Asia
Australia does not look at own art discourses, but as an spectator from outside at the other countries
Critic on the country-based concept in which every country is represented by its artists  refers to European world exhibitions