Cairns Indigenous Art Fair CIAF (31 July – 2 August 2015) will showcase more than 150 paintings, ceramics, textiles, prints and sculptures by 90 outstanding artists to collectors and curators from some of the world’s most prestigious museums and galleries, at the first CIAF curated Art Fair, titled Wabu Minjaan, meaning coming together; to share.
 
CIAF Artistic Director Janina Harding and renowned arts curator Hetti Perkins curate the Art Fair’s inaugural headline exhibition, providing a snapshot of current trends in Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art. CIAF is the only Indigenous Art Fair in Australia that takes this approach.
 
The CIAF Art Market, also a first for CIAF, will operate in tandem with the Art Fair, enabling Indigenous arts centres and galleries, that represent hundreds of artists, to display art, craft, textiles, jewellery and merchandise, direct to the public.
 
Many of Far North Queensland’s remote Indigenous art centres have successfully submitted work to the curated exhibition, with Hopevale, Lockhart River, Aurukun, Yarrabah, Badu, Girringun, Pormpuraaw, Mornington Island and Erub represented.
 
CIAF Artistic Director Janina Harding said Queensland Indigenous art had its own distinct aesthetic, influenced by a vast and varied landscape, from tropical rainforest, to the islands of the Torres Strait to the rugged dryland terrain of Cape York.
 
“We were looking for work that represents the region but is also ground breaking in some way. The paintings, ceramics, prints, weaving, textiles and mixed media art submitted was just stunning and of such a high quality, it was hard to choose,” Ms Harding said.
 
“There were also a lot of unexpected styles and mediums - Sid Bruce Short Joe’s amazing ghost net art, Alair Pambegan’s strong graphical paintings and the gorgeous mixed media birds from the artists at Lockhart River, are a revelation.
 
“We know serious collectors will find some of the most exciting work in Australia at the Art Fair, while those looking for a beautiful piece of art for a few hundred dollars or less will find some treasures at the Art Market.”
 
Pormpuraaw, a community 700 kilometres northwest of Cairns, will exhibit work from nine artists including Sid Bruce Short Joe. A respected interpreter and mediator, Sid speaks nine languages plus English and works across several mediums including ghost nets - a  genre of art which uses discarded fishing nets as material for weaving. His intricate ghost net sculptures Saw Fish #1 and #2; his atmospheric, deeply coloured prints Fruits Bats and Full Moon Tide; and his stunning painting Dogs Barking will feature at the Art Fair.
 
Nine Lockhart River artists will show a wide range of artistic styles across innovative, multi-media work that explodes with colour. Five of those artists, including Evelyn Omeenyo, have produced small ceramic and large mixed media birds. Evelyn’s paintings Wattle Grass, About 6 Rocks and Waves will also be exhibited alongside four breathtaking, brightly coloured abstract acrylic on linen works by Patrick Butcher and five abstract landscapes by Irene Namok.
 
The works of eight Aurukun artists are also selected for the exhibition; their works include wooden sculptures of animals including sharks, owls, crocodiles, a whale and dugongs, plus law poles and ancestors. Painter Alair Pambegan created 10 works included in the exhibition, singled out for their distinct graphic style, a dramatic break from tradition for an artist working in a remote community.
 
The Girringun art centre is known for ceramic Bagus- fire spirits - the selection from 12 artists will thrill collectors at CIAF. However this year sculptural wire work by Daniel Beeron, paintings by John Murray and weaving by various artists will also showcase the new mediums coming out of the community. A Jawun or bicornal basket by Abe Muriata, whose work is currently shown in The British Museum, will also be included.
 
Torres Strait artists from Badu Island including Laurie Nona, Joseph Au, Weldon Matasia, Matilda Nona and Gehmat Nona have been selected for a number of finely detailed lino prints, that strongly represent Torres Strait Islander living and culture. 
 
Sixteen paintings from 12 Mornington Island artists illustrate the diversity of styles amongst coastal and island based artists. Barramundi scales, body art, sea creatures and seagrass influence this group of stunning paintings.
 
A collection of paintings based on Butchi (weaving) by Wanda Gibson are included in the work by artists from Hopevale, a community north of Cooktown on Cape York, and will be exhibited alongside brightly coloured acrylics on linen depicting lagoons, by Dora Deemal. For the first time, a team of Hopevale artists has collaborated on the ground breaking What you can see behind your fence, a unique three panel, 2.5 metre relief print on Japanese rice paper.
 
The linocut print work of Yarrabah emerging artists Andrew Garrett and Valmai Pollard is selected, while Michelle Yeatman’s and Ruben Ambrym’s lithographs display a departure from their usual work.
 
In another first, and in a direct response to requests from previous attendees, CIAF’s new management team will take visiting national and international collectors and curators on a tour to the Aboriginal community of Yarrabah, where they will visit the Yarrabah Arts & Cultural Centre and meet artists at work.
 
The CIAF 2015 Collectors and Curators Program includes visitors from the National Museum of the American Indian, the Smithsonian Museum, the Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art Gallery - the University of Virginia, The Australian National Maritime Museum and many major private collectors. No other Indigenous Art Fair in Australia offers this connection to artists and their place of work.
 
Janina Harding said the 2015 program would bring together artistic, social and cultural experiences, while also creating vital economic opportunities for Queensland artists.
 
“Our long term strategy to forge career pathways for artists is an important part of CIAF 2015, involving workshops and other opportunities for artists to progress from the Art Market, to the Art Fair.”

For more information and to book tickets, visit www.ciaf.com.au