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Are big galleries monopolising the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair? by Jack Andrew Wilkie-Jans 30 April 2014
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IAF 2014 is shaping up to be a great event and as predicted will benefit from a privatised model of management and funding. With the success of the smaller scale event last year, CIAF Presents, the arts sector in Cairns and around Australia have newfound support, admiration and ambition for this year’s Cairns Indigenous Art Fair. It is hoped that events such as the Gimuy Fish & Food Festival continues and it is also hoped that even more Cairns artists, art spaces and galleries are able to be involved this year. I’m greatly excited for this year’s event and what makes it even more exciting is that this year there won’t be the time constraints for travellers and exhibitors, as there have been in previous years, because this year CIAF is ahead of the art-fair-pack. Being active in the art community, from what I’ve been hearing from several long-time CIAF supporters and exhibitors in Melbourne is that they’re very excited for this year. It’s as though a new hope has arisen and I thank the current and former CIAF team and Queensland Government for having the guts to bring about this successful transition of the fair. While there is a new hope and while the fair has survived it’s privatisation, this year’s fair is still make or break in a lot of respects in terms of successfully getting more people to the fair, to Cairns and also to buy artworks. This means the artists and art suppliers/ art centres need to pull up their socks creatively speaking and give us something to marvel at, not just
Jack Andrew Wilkie-Jans with Dr Thancoupie Gloria Fletcher James AO.
the same old thing or same old artworks that didn’t sell last year for example. One major concern, which has been raised by artsworkers across the Far North region, is that of the bigger, more financially viable galleries monopolosing sales of artists’ artworks at the fair. Many galleries or outlets will own artworks by various artists and some of which they are entitled to sell, however due to artist representation from bigger galleries often an embargo is placed on works of particular artists. This limits what other galleries are able to move during the fair and places financial constraint on local galleries and lesser known artists, while fly-in, fly-out galleries make more of a profit. I would encourage against such petty behaviour; people want to buy from popular artists and not everybody can afford some of the inflated prices larger galleries will ask for. I know that exhibitors at CIAF have to make back the money they invest on artwork insurance &
travel and also accommodation for staff and artists, and I know a lot of them sell artworks at affordable prices as well. I sincerely hope this doesn’t happen this year now the Fair is bigger and better. Give local galleries a chance I ask. It’s not everyday they get the attention and traffic which CIAF brings. The Cairns Indigenous Art Fair 2014 will run from July 24th to July 27th and will be housed at the Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal. For more information on this year’s CIAF and to stay up to date visit their website at www.ciaf.com.au. *Jack is an Alumni of the National Gallery of Australia’s Wesfarmer’s Indigenous Art Leadership Program. He formerly worked as staff with CIAF in 2011, has been a satellite event organiser (Art for Autism fundraising exhibition) and satellite exhibiting artist (Indigenous Beautiful Art Spaces initiative) with CIAF, and he is also the tribal grandson of late CIAF Co-Patron and Queensland Great, Dr Thancoupie Gloria Fletcher James AO.
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