Six hundred Australian and International delegates gathered at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre from 27-29 September 1996 for the Conference 'Present Encounters' held in conjunction with the Second Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art. This publication includes all the papers presented in the conference except those of David Elliott, Vivan Sundaram and Emmanuel Kasarherou. Caroline Turner, Deputy Director of Queensland Art Gallery commented in the introduction, 'Speakers at the conference called for a new understanding of the historical context of contemporary art, including modernism in Asia, a new language for art criticism in the region, a reconsideration of Western notions of time, and a consideration of new strategies for deconstruction...Many artists spoke movingly of the personal experiences which inform their art.' With biographies of the speakers.