TimeOut Cultures woven as one

2023 Cairns Indigenous Art Fair celebrates First Nations diversity and style

l CAIRNS

| Gail Sedorkin

IT’S a celebration of art, dance, music, fashion and ideas at this year’s Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF).

From the opening last night to the closing ceremony on Sunday (July 16), CIAF presents a four-day, multi-arts program of mostly free events to welcome, inspire, educate, and entertain art collectors, curators and visitors about Queensland’s two diverse and distinct First Nations cultures.

Delivering her first program in the role of CIAF’s artistic director, Francoise Lane said she was proud to be at the helm of such an important event intrinsic to the expression and wellbeing of Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and representing an important step on the path to reconciliation.

“From its art fair beginnings in 2009 CIAF has evolved into a meaningful and multi-disciplinary event for cultural exchange, truth-telling, and knowledge sharing that over the years has launched careers, provided pathways and is a valuable source of income underpinning the development and future of Queensland’s First Nations artists and industry,” she said.

“Whether it’s music, art, or learning something new, the magic of CIAF is its intimacy, its opportunity to meet and yarn with First Nations people who come together in Cairns from the most remote areas of Queensland and the Torres Strait in one extraordinary event.”

CIAF also celebrates a decade of showcasing Queensland’s vibrant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander fashion industry this year with a creative and culturally rich choreographed performance entitled, Woven.

Curated by Lynelle Flinders, the performance features 14 designer collections (from Quandamooka Country in Queensland’s southeast to the Cape and Torres Strait Islanders).

“The purpose of CIAF’s annual and iconic fashion performance is to promote Queensland’s contemporary Indigenous design, diversity, and inclusion while also empowering Indigenous youth as models/ performers through representation of who they are and where they come from,” she said.

While most of CIAF’s signature events over the four days can be enjoyed within and surrounding the world-class Cairns Convention Centre hub, a host of satellite exhibitions and events are held at venues across Cairns including Cairns Art Gallery, Cairns Court House Gallery, North Site Contemporary Arts at Bulmba-ja, and Tanks Arts Centre.

Co-curated by Ms Lane and curatorial associate Teho Ropeyarn, the chosen works from Queensland’s most talented artists provide a collective response to the 2023 theme, Weaving our Future: Claiming our Sovereignty.

This theme also guides the Art Fair plus Art Market, a new-look, two-day symposium, Coconut Leaf Project exhibition of large-scale, 3-D woven installations using natural coconut leaf fibre and Music in the Park – Live it Up! featuring national headliner Spinifex Gum.

Tickets for Music in the Park on Saturday, July 15 can be bought at the gate or online at www.ciaf.com.au

Traditional coconut leaf weaving

l CAIRNS CBD

| Gail Sedorkin

IT’S the first exhibition of traditional coconut leaf weaving and also the first time the six master weavers from Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait) have come together to create an exhibition of their work. The intergenerational art and cultural traditions of coconut palm leaf weaving from the Torres Strait are the focus of Cairns Indigenous Art Fair’s signature exhibition, Mura Kaymelan Bei Aurem (Coconut Leaf Weaving Project), on display at Cairns Convention Centre until Sunday July 16.

Mura Kaymelan Bei Aurem comprises seven large, 3-D sculptural installations showcasing the skill of the six master weavers from Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait).

CIAF’s curatorial associate Teho Ropeyarn said each artist would display their own handwoven installation along with one collaborative sculpture.

Master weaver Yessie Mosby said he was taught traditional weaving at a very young age by his grandmother on his father’s side and his great aunties – all master weavers. Visit the art market at the Cairns Convention Centre today from 11am.