The 3rd Auckland Triennial: turbulence

Venues
Theme
Artists
Publications
Key events
Archives
Supporters

Curator: Victoria Lynn, Independent Curator, Australia

The 3rd Triennial increased public access to new and innovative work and extended the reach of artists. Projects extended out onto the streets, rooftops, parks and festivals of Auckland and aimed to attract multicultural and youth audiences, enabled by AUT University joining as a major long-term investor, ensuring growth, sustainability and greater student participation in the Triennial. Creative New Zealand funding enabled each New Zealand artist to make new work. The event coincided with Pasifika, the Lantern Festival and Auckland Festival AK07, the city's biennial festival of the arts.

Thirty-eight artists participated, from 20 countries – Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Greece, Guatemala, Israel, Lebanon, New Zealand, Niue, Palestine, Panama, People's Republic of China, United Kingdom, Uruguay, United States of America and Uzbekistan. Presented at venues throughout inner city Auckland, turbulence included painting, sculpture, photography, video, installation, film, performance and collaborations between international and New Zealand artists.

Visit the 3rd Auckland Triennial website for more information

 

Venues

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, New Gallery, Artspace, Academy Cinema, The Gus Fisher Gallery, St PAUL St (Isaac Julien, Julie Rrap and The Long March Project), performances and events at sites around the city and in Albert Park.

 

Theme

Victoria Lynn's Triennial exhibition considered 'the turbulent times in which we live, and includes artists for whom turbulence and globalisation were abiding concerns through works engaging with three themes: Globalisation, Resistance and Transit'.

The curator continues, 'For many people feelings of loss, grief and anger, existed alongside the notions of hope, the capacity to dream and find refuge, sentiments which rise to the surface in turbulent times. Such emotions might arise from a loss of sovereignty, identity, a sense of home or from subjection. Within this context, artists have the ability to create constructive interventions and, in general, an active, living and vital alternative expression.' This Triennial sought to 'build on precursors that have looked at global systems, migration and identity, but shift the emphasis to the emotional manifestations of global turbulence.'

 

Artists

Artists in red indicate works that were acquired from the exhibition and form the Auckland Triennial Collection. Artists with aterisks beside their names means that they have works in the Auckland Art Gallery Collection.

• Lida Abdul, Afghanistan
• Chantal Akerman, Belgium
• Vyacheslav Akhunov with Sergey Tichina, Uzbekistan
• Eve Armstrong, New Zealand*
• The Atlas Group/Walid Raad, Lebanon/United States of America
• Carlos Capelan, Uruguay/Sweden
• Phil Collins, United Kingdom
• Donna Conlon, Panama
• Shane Cotton, Ngāpuhi/New Zealand*
• Christina Dimitriadis, Greece/Germany
• Willie Doherty, Northern Ireland
• Regina José Galindo, Guatemala
• Carlos Garaicoa, Cuba
• Alexandros Georgiou, Greece
• Monica Giron, Argentina
• George Gittoes, Australia
• Fiona Hall, Australia
• Mona Hatoum, Palestine/United Kingdom
• Julian Hooper, New Zealand*
• Alfredo Jaar, Chile/United States of America
• Isaac Julien, United Kingdom
• Lucia Madriz, Costa Rica
• Oscar Muñoz, Columbia
• John Pule, Niue/New Zealand
• r e a, Gamilaraay/Wailwan People of NSW, Australia
• Michal Rovner, Israel/United States of America
• Julie Rrap, Australia
• Lázaro A. Saavedra González, Cuba
• Sriwhana Spong, New Zealand*
• Yuk King Tan, New Zealand*
• Laura Waddington, United Kingdom
• Lynette Wallworth, Australia
• Areta Wilkinson, Ngāi Tahu/New Zealand*
• Multi-artist project: Long March Project (China), with Daniel Malone* (New Zealand) and Kah Bee Chow (Malaysia/New Zealand)

 

Publications

The 3rd Auckland Triennial catalogue was edited by Victoria Lynn. 127 pages. RRP $30 (PDF)

turbulence commenced with a visual essay on the theme, followed by curator Victoria Lynn's essay and additional essays by David Craig and Gerardo Mosquera. An alphabetical section on the artists included commissioned essays on each artist, followed by the list of works and brief artist biographies.

Full list of artist page contributors: Ron Brownson, Kaira Cabanas, Jane Davidson, Leonhard Emmerling, Jean Fisher, Marina Fokidis, Alan Gilbert, David Hansen, Alfredo Jaar, Victoria Lynn, Victor Misiano, Christine Nicholls, Alix Ohlin, Niko Papastergiadis, Virginia Perez-Ratton, Laura Preston, Michael Rush, Edgar Schmitz, Russell Storer, Fiona Trigg, Linda Tyler.

Julian Hooper: Liliu published by The Gus Fisher Gallery, University of Auckland

Long March Project published a book on all their Chinatown projects, including Auckland

 

Key events

In November 2006, Dr David Craig coordinated an Economies of Culture / Cultures of Economies symposium at The University of Auckland which introduced themes in the 2007 Triennial.

Opening weekend and international symposium

Keynote lecture – Gerardo Mosquera
Friday 9 March, 6pm
Gerardo Mosquera, Cuban academic and co-curator of the 2006 Liverpool Biennial, delivered the opening address 'Transitions: some international viewpoints on art and culture'.

Panel discussions on the issues of 'displacement' and 'clusters'
Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 March, 1pm–3.30pm
Invited speakers considered the impacts of diaspora, migration and exile and their expression in contemporary art and culture. Speakers included Dr David Craig, Ruth DeSouza, David Tung, Natasha Conland, Dr Love Chile, Ien Ang, Nova Paul, Ian Wedde, Carlos Capelan and Nikos Papastergiadis.

The Atlas Group/Walid Raad, Lebanon/United States of America
Attempting to research and document the history of contemporary Lebanon the performances of The Atlas Group are populated by imaginary figures, archival documents, video projections and memories of the turmoil of Lebanon.

Eve Armstrong, New Zealand
Visitors were invited to participate in Eve Armstrong's Trading Table. Set up in the streets of Auckland, the artist encourages you to 'trade' an object, ideas, or service, for something on the table.

 

Talks, performances and events

A programme of over 50 artist talks, curator talks, in conversations, readings, No Chinatown competition judging, political discussions, guided tour and guest lectures ran throughout the Triennial at the exhibition venues. The Triennial was a tour site for the Saturday Art Link Bus during the Auckland Festival.

 

Family and community programmes

Triennial artists featured in the weekly Sunday Kids and holiday programmes – some inspired by Carlos Muñoz's work Aliento (Breath). Triennial artist focused Sunday Kids programmes were provided for the duration of the exhibition based on the work of Fiona Hall, Lucia Madriz and the Long March collaborators.

Free community bus trips and hosting for groups were provided to groups such as Toi Ora, RAW Glen Innes, the Auckland Deaf Association and migrant groups, supported by ACC and Gallery patrons.

 

Education groups

Auckland Art Gallery developed specific tours for primary (interactive with digital resource record), secondary (focus on Māori and Pacific artists) and tertiary (started with a digital tour of all venues then forum concept, role of curator, what is a triennial, key artists) students, and adult interest groups.

A full visitor pre-visit briefing pack was posted on the Triennial website.

 

Archives

List of archives held at the E H McCormick Library, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki

• Video resources 
• Reviews: Broadsheet (Mercedes Vicente); Artlink (Stella Brennan); Art & Australia vol.44.3, pp.328–329 (Andrew Clifford); Art Monthy Australia (John Hurrell), New Zealand Listener (Tze Ming Mok). For those articles not available to view online – please contact the Library

 

Supporters

The 3rd Auckland Triennial could not have been realised without the assistance and cooperation of the following partners, patrons, sponsors and supporters:

Triennial partners:
Founding Partner Auckland Art Gallery with
Auckland Triennial Partner AUT University

Exhibition partners:
Artspace
The Gus Fisher Gallery
ST PAUL St Gallery
Academy Cinemas

Major supporters:
Foundation Patron, Sue Fisher Art Trust
Chartwell Trust
Patrons of the Triennial
Jenny Gibbs, Adrian Burr and Peter Tatham, Erika and Robin Congreve, Rose and John Dunn, Graeme Edwards, Friedlander Foundation, Dayle and Chris Mace, Beverley McConnell and the Thanksgiving Foundation

Cultural agencies:
Creative New Zealand
British Council
Australia Council for the Arts
Asia New Zealand Foundation

Supporting sponsors:
Auckland Festival 07
Trethewey Stone
The University of Auckland
British Airways
City Life Auckland
Aalto Colours

Core funder:
Auckland City Council