From November 2024 to April 2025, the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) presented its flagship exhibition series ‘The 11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art’ (APT11). APT11 was accompanied by Asia Pacific Triennial Kids, a dedicated Children’s Art Centre program presented in collaboration with seven exhibiting artists. The children’s art program went on to be presented in regional venues across Queensland with  Asia Pacific Triennial Kids on Tour, which reached all 77 council areas in Queensland.

Bringing compelling new art to Brisbane, the Triennial is a gateway to the rapidly evolving artistic expression of Australia, Asia and the Pacific.  Asia Pacific Triennial Kids is a highlight of the exhibition, offering hands-on activities, multimedia interactives, and video works created in collaboration with seven artists from across the Asia Pacific region, including India, Aotearoa New Zealand, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia/Palestine, Cambodia, and Timor-Leste.

The program provides creative, interactive opportunities for children to explore identity, culture, language, and the future through art, including sound compositions, sacred geometry, large-scale digital installations, and storytelling. The TFFF has supported the delivery of these engaging and accessible programs for children and families across Queensland since 2009.

During the design phase of Asia Pacific Triennial Kids, the Children’s Art Centre spent several months trialling activity concepts and materials with children, including students from West End State School and Junction Park State School. Artist Okui Lala also invited bilingual or multilingual students at West End State School to participate in two video projects as part of her work 'Have you ever tried to listen to the sound of Brisbane?' 2024.

The Asia Pacific Triennial Kids projects were:

• Rithika Merchant, India – If the Seeds Chose Where to Grow 2024 – animmersive digital interactive work featuring a large projected landscape that children can transform by placing characters, plants and other features in the world.
• Brett Graham, Aotearoa New Zealand – Wakuwaku 2024 – a rubbing activity using patterns drawn from the artist’s work, accompanied by a digital screen with information about the patterns’ cultural significance and meaning.
• Harold ‘Egn’ Eswar, Malaysia – Monster of Wants 2024 – a drawing activity inviting children to reflect on the things they want, by drawing their own ‘monster of wants’ with crayons.
• Dana Awartani, Saudi Arabia / Palestine – Unity Within Multiplicity 2024 – a drawing activity and collaborative display exploring sacred geometry and pattern, in which children are invited to customise a template with coloured pencils.
• Okui Lala, Malaysia – 'Have you ever tried to listen to the sound of Brisbane?' 2024– two video works developed with local school children (an inter-generational interview and a music video with a song composed by West End State School Music Specialists Elizabeth Flynn and Rebecca Hoole, with its lyrics drawn from a student workshop) which explore identity through language with migrant families.
• Maline Yim, Cambodia – A Dream for the Future 2024 – a drawing display of works from students of the Blue Art Centre, Cambodia responding to the prompt of ‘A dream for the future of Cambodia’. Visitors to Asia Pacific Triennial Kids are invited to view the display and create their own drawings.
• Etson Caminha, Timor-Leste – My Kitchen Sounds 2024 – a multimedia activity inviting children to create their own musical composition, using recordings of sounds made by the artist using domestic objects.

The opportunity to experience  Asia Pacific Triennial Kids projects is extended to families throughout Queensland through the Kids on Tour program, with more than 220 venues across all 77 council areas taking part from January to June 2025. Regional schools, libraries, community centres, and art galleries were supported to host free activities, adapted to local venues and community needs.

Designed to create accessible and inclusive art experiences, the Kids on Tour program provides free, far-reaching community access to Children’s Art Centre programs and allows QAGOMA to make meaningful connections with Queensland communities through art and culture as catalysts for creativity, curiosity, and connection.

[My children will take away] a greater appreciation of arts and culture from the Asia Pacific. APT Kids helps remind adults that art can be fun too, the kids absolutely love it!

- QAGOMA visitor

Super engaging activities for kids in Miles – We LOVE these workshops.

- Z. Diamond, Visitor, Dogwood Crossing Miles, Western Downs Council

This is a wonderful program.  Everyone in the gallery enjoyed it and it was wonderful to see so many people, young and old, engaging in the activities.

-  April Spadina, Engagement Coordinator, Community & Culture, Fraser Coast Regional Council

The Asia Pacific Triennial Kids on Tour is supported through the Leadership funding stream.