After the opening, it’s the POST-TRIENNIAL period.

During the preparation since one year ago, especially the two months before the opening, the focus was all about the exhibition itself. when the exhibition held its preview, the branches and leaves slowly blossomed out and strenched to everyone, seized popular attention in every aspects. And then we looked back, rethink every step we done.

As the other art exhibition, the triennial could not avoid the flighting talk from different aspects on the professional media, mass media and internet, in those spaces where triennial could appear again and again. We expect the feedback from craft brothers, also the normal audiences who expecting every thing could be ‘understood’. But in the scene, understand or not was no longer a question when facing to the southernmost artists from South Africa and small nation Iceland in the north, even their passion of their life and motherland, we also can experience the emotion from their works.

For the visitors, ordinary things of the museum are the same as the original price to enter, but the exhibition which entered the visitors life with friendly gesture: from a small cube report about the opening day in London to a large light box advertising covered two subway lines and pages of ad landing in every part of the world, from the high artistic media ART FORUM to local people’s livelihood TV Shows, the triennial approached to the visitors closer and closer.

And then, POST-POST-TRIENNIAL is coming.

Moving out all the works, the last light of the triennial had been turned off. Then 6 exhibitions started to open the veils continually in 12 exhibition spaces.

When the works on their way to different places around the world, the scholars and artists got together in Guangzhou again, ‘post-colonism’ and ‘post-westen society’ have been put on the schedule. Over the exhibition, there are still flow of themes be talked.

In the last paragraph of one of the curators Sarat Maharaj’s article in the catalogue: “We drift in and our of its turbulence, the sound and fury of Pandemonium Aisa.” Along with the other bie/trinnials in Asia and in 2008, the 3rd Triennial put down its veil, and wait for the next one three years later. Two monthes POST-TRIENNIAL and endless POST-POST-TRIENNIAL, after experienced every piece of works, every thing is recorded in piles pictures. And the catalogues collected the benefit for all participants, practitioners, involvers and audiences. The last step, after the last symposium, is the READER 3, the last publication will put a perfect full stop of a race for 3 years.

The gratitude from the triennial should be as Pro. Sarat Maharaj said in the end of his article: This essay is dedicated to my co-curators Gao Shiming and Johnson Chang- tutors extraordinaire- from whom I have learned immeasurably. My thanks to the Research Curators, Dorothee Albrecht, Tamar Guimares, Steven Lam, Khaled Ramadan, Stina Edblom for their intelligent input and vigorous questions…

On the way, from London to Guangzhou, departed from Guangzhou to Beijing, then climbing up to Yellow Mountain, followed the Hong Kong Stop. Finally, the stance is Guangzhou, a surreal city which is always under construction.

The same, all the way, the 3rd Guangzhou Triennial is always gratitude to all the participants, volunteers and audiences.


Text by Xiao