In tune with international contemporary art events, Queensland Indigenous art gains momentum at CIAF 2012
Indigenous art from Queensland is rich and diverse, cutting-edge contemporary and drawing on tradition, political and acutely aware of ecological concerns. This is the image that the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) of 2012 wanted to convey to a public of interstate and international art professionals and art lovers. CIAF took place for the fourth time in 2012 and promotes itself as a platform for the art of a region of Australia which until recently has had relatively little exposure.
The fair showcased, through galleries and art centres alike, art in a wide range of media and from all regions of this northern state. Art centres and commercial galleries, often representing the same artists, had stands in the fair. Girringun Aboriginal Art Centre for instance was located next to Suzanne O’Connell Gallery (Brisbane). Both represented artists from Cardwell with the renowned Bagu ceramic figures on their sticks. The Brisbane based FireWorks Gallery showcased new work by Ian Waldron and Laurie Nilsen, amongst others. Baskets and other sculptures made from ghost nets—synthetic woven fishing nets that come adrift from international commercial fishing boats and eventually end up on Queensland beaches—were very popular at a number of galleries and art centres.
A large diversity of use of materials was also tangible in ‘Where the art leads: new explorations by Queensland Indigenous artists’, the selling general exhibition at the Cairns Regional Gallery. This show, curated by Avril Quaill, artistic director of CIAF 2012, brought new work by artists that explored a wide range of media, whether it be fibre art, drawing, printmaking, painting, video, photography, sculpture or performance art. One of the highlights was Destiny Deacon’s video work Contacts (2011). This video, showing... The rest of this article is available to subscribers of Eyeline
Artists of Girringun, Bagu with Jiman. Girringun Aborignal Art Centre.
Ghost Nets Australia workshop.
