Artists Brush Up for Fourth Cairns Indigenous Art Fair

Cairns Indigenous Art Fair

More than three hundred Indigenous artists representing 24 Indigenous art centres and commercial galleries in North Queensland are set to showcase a range of brilliant new work at this year's Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF).

Held on the waterfront at the Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal from August 17-19, 2012, the three-day festival will feature both visual and performance art and will open with Wawu Maumele (Know Your Heart), a new musical performance sung in Kuku Yalanji language by the Briscoe Sisters with full backing of the Torres Strait Islands Choir.

According to Avril Quaill, Artistic Director for CIAF and a former curator of the National Gallery of Art, CIAF provides a platform for recognition for Queensland Indigenous artists, giving them a chance to go into global markets.

"If you think Indigenous art is all about dots from the desert, CIAF will significantly change that view," she said. "Indigenous artists in North Queensland have their own art styles, traditions and languages, with influences from the environments in which they live.

Cairns Indigenous Art Fair

"The colours are stronger and the themes are different. Whereas Australia's Central Desert art is based upon browns, ochres and siennas stemming from the natural pigments found in the middle of Australia, here it's the brilliance and iridescence of the rainforest, the reef, the islands and Queensland's strong light. It's very alive and stylistically exciting."

General Manager for CIAF, Alison Copley adds that the festival has a role in injecting pride into the Indigenous community by creating commercially viable artists.

"By getting their names out there, getting their works into galleries around the world, CIAF is giving artists and art workers access to vocational pathways in the arts," said Ms Copley."When it works, it has a spinoff effect into the community. It's more than just aesthetic reproduction, contemporary expressions of culture through art contributes to the holistic well-being of a community."

Ms Quaill said this year's CIAF will appeal to everyone from dedicated collectors to those who want to add visual colour to their homes.

"CIAF is a chance for people, artists and visitors alike to gather in one place for three days to see a sampling of the best (art) from each of the centres, all in one spot, without having to travel to the remote regions of Queensland," she said. "They will be surprised by the affordability, especially of the new prints by major artists like Dennis Nona and Brian Robinson. It's a chance to get in on the ground floor and purchase new work by both major and emerging artists."

Cairns Indigenous Art Fair

In the three years since its inception, CIAF has attracted some 33,500 visitors to Cairns and injected more than $4.3 million into the economy.

CIAF will be held from August 17 - 19 at the Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal. For more information, see www.ciaf.com.au