After record breaking sales in 2023, Adelaide's Tarnanthi Art Fair will return to the Art Gallery of South Australia next month.
Despite being completely online, the event will continue to offer both local and global audiences a chance to buy works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.
Audiences will be able to browse and buy online via an easy-to-use digital platform, with all art centres offering both domestic and international shipping.
Now in its ninth year, this year's fair will showcase more than 50 art centres from across Australia, with thousands of works from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists for sale. Works include paintings, ceramics, sculpture, woven objects, jewellery, textiles, clothes and homewares, with prices ranging from under $50 to more than $5,000.
Tarnanthi artistic director, Nici Cumpston said the fair is a unique yet rewarding opportunity for the community to broaden their knowledge regarding First Nations art, culture and artists.
"The Tarnanthi Art Fair offers a unique opportunity for audiences to engage with artists and to expand their knowledge of First Nations cultures by bringing works of art into their homes," Ms Cumpston said.
"For artists, the experience boosts cultural resilience and economic empowerment – essential for the development of the next generation of artists."
Proceeds from sales deliver economic benefits directly to the artists and their community-run art centres.
Since 2015, more than $8.1 million of art has been sold through the Tarnanthi Art Fair, which operates under the Indigenous Art Code and supports the ethical production and sales of works of art by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.
Acting Director at the Art Gallery of South Australia, Emma Fey, said the fair is an exciting event that strives to foster deeper understanding of First Nations art and culture
"Following record-breaking outcomes in 2023, we are thrilled that the highly anticipated Tarnanthi Art Fair will return online in 2024 to reach audiences around the world and help foster a deeper understanding of First Nations art and culture," she said.
The name Tarnanthi (pronounced tar-nan-dee) comes from the language of the Kaurna people, the Traditional Owners of the Adelaide Plains. It means to come forth or appear – like the sun and the first emergence of light.
Mawungumain Nundhirribala, Wulbung (basket), 2024, ghost net and pandanus. (Image: Numbulwar Numburindi Arts, Sean Fennessy)
Tarnanthi is a platform for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists from across the country to share important stories through artistic excellence, illuminating the diversity and depth of art and culture in communities nationwide.
The fair presents exhibitions at the Art Gallery of South Australia and on tour, at the annual art fair, artist talks, performances, workshops and at a groundbreaking education program.
Since it's inception in 2015, Tarnanthi has developed from delivering acclaimed annual exhibitions in Adelaide into a continuous celebration of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, reaching national and international audiences.
Art centres participating in the 2024 Tarnanthi Art Fair include – but are not limited to APY Art Centre Collective, Arlpwe Art and Culture Centre, Artists of Ampilatwatja, Arts Ceduna Bábbarra Women's Centre, Badu Art Centre, Baluk Arts, Barkly Regional Arts, Bindi Mwerre Anthurre Artists and many more.
The 2024 Tarnanthi Art Fair runs as an online event from 5pm on Friday 18 October to 9pm on Monday 21 October.
For more fashion, beauty and lifestyle news subscribe for free to the Style Up newsletter.
