Beginning on Thursday, the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) is an annual arts and cultural event that showcases art by contemporary Indigenous Australian artists.
Established in 2009, the CIAF is the opening event of the Cairns Festival.
With the first few days of July having passed, the CIAF will be holding events for the public to enjoy from Thursday until Sunday 16 July.
On Thursday the Tanks Art Centre will host the CIAF Fashion Performance Woven Dress Rehearsal and Community Show.
Commencing at 3pm, the Fashion Performance celebrates its 10 year anniversary with 'Woven', an artistic celebration of Queensland First Nations' knowledge.
Woven delves into the unique use of materials, assemblage techniques and textile design to create vibrant and innovative collections.
The show is curated by Lynelle Flinders and choreographed by brother and sister duo Mykelle and Jaydn Bingarape.
The CIAF Fashion Performance will highlight the creative talent of designers, performers and creatives with First Nations culture presented through the medium of fashion and wearable art.
Later that day, CIAF will be hosting an opening night party at 6:30 til 9pm at the Cairns Convention Centre enter Hartley Street, Cairns City, CIAF's 14th year celebration ready to kick off with Traditional Owner cultural dances and live music performances.
Guests will be treated to the simultaneous opening of the Art Fair and Art Market. This year's Art Fair is a collection of works inspired by this year's theme 'Weaving our future; claiming our sovereignty'.
National sensation Marliya choir will entertain in a live music performance as will the Deaf Indigenous Dance Group. A private Smoking Ceremony of the Cairns Convention Centre will occur earlier in the evening by Gimuy Walubara Yidinji man Henry Fourmile.
EMBRACE: Projection Art, transforms a collection of Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art adapted and projected onto Cairns city scape walls, transforming spaces into canvases of motion, light and colour.
The event will be held over two days between spanning from Thursday at 6:30pm – 9pm and on Friday at 6pm – 10pm, at the Tank Arts Centre and Cairns Convention Centre
Friday sees the Art Fair, Mura Kaymelan Bei Aurem and the Art market both being held from 9am - 5pm.
The Art Fair will be held at the Cairns Convention Centre enter via Hartley Street, Cairns City and is a free event to attend.
Inspired by this year's theme 'Weaving our Future; Claiming our Sovereignty', the Art Fair showcases works from Queensland's established and emerging Indigenous Art Centres, Queensland commercial galleries and independent Indigenous artists.
The Art Market will also be at the Cairns Convention Centre enter via Hartley Street, Cairns City.
Community members can enjoy the bustling CIAF Art Market inside the CIAF pavilion with more than 50 stalls showcasing and selling art, craft and design works by Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and designers. The market is an opportunity to purchase art, craft and jewellery directly from the artists and entrepreneurs who create the work.
Mura Kaymelan Bei Aurem: Coconut Leaf Weaving Project can be found in the Corridor, Cairns Convention Centre.
It's one of CIAF's signature exhibitions, Mura Kaymelan Bei Aurem: Coconut Leaf Weaving Project is a unique project presenting large-scale sculpture that celebrates Torres Strait Islander craft and weaving traditions.
At 10am attendees will be treated with artist talks, where attendees will hear from exhibiting Indigenous artists speak about their arts practice, what inspires them and their creative processes.
During the day the Dance Workshop: Deaf Indigenous Dance Group will be held at the Cairns Convention Centre, Corridor, Wharf Street as is the the Yarning Circle: Coconut Leaf Project (Art Market Stage), which begins at 11:30am.
The CIAF Symposium Day 1 'Weaving our Future; Claiming our Sovereignty' will be held from 11am-2pm and will be located at the Theatre, Bulmba-ja Arts Centre in Cairns City.
'Weaving our Future; Claiming our Sovereignty' CIAF 2023 places the voices of First Nations peoples in the creative arts front and centre.
This year's Symposium brings together leaders in the arts from the Torres Strait to South East Queensland and from across Australia with timely conversations on how sovereignty is expressed in practice from arts to architecture.
In the afternoon Cultural dances will light up the City Terrace, Cairns Convention Centre from 12-3:30pm, then the Music Performances will commence afterwards at the Cairns Convention Centre, Art Market Stage until 5pm.
From 1-3:30pm the CIAF will offer a Masterclass: Weaving (International) Cultural Dances for people to participate in, located at the Cairns Convention Centre Masterclass Workshop Space, Corridor, Hartley Street.
Later, Lugger Bort Curated by Nerelle Nicol 24 June – 23 July Exhibition will open at the Tank 4, Tanks Arts Centre, 48 Collins Street, Edge Hill from 4pm.
Lugger Bort is dedicated to the working life of the Aboriginal, Torres Strait and South Sea Islanders who worked the pearling, beche-de-mer and trochus industries, living on luggers in Far North Queensland.
In the evening CIAF Fashion Performance Woven will strut the runway with it's first show starting at 6pm and the second show beginning at 8.30pm at the Tank 3, Tanks Arts Centre, 48 Collins Street, Edge Hill.
CIAF 2023 Fashion Performance celebrates its 10 year anniversary with 'Woven', an artistic celebration of Queensland First Nations' knowledge woven into the unique use of materials, assemblage techniques and textile design to create vibrant and innovative Collections.
Curated by Lynelle Flinders and choreographed by brother and sister duo Mykelle and Jaydn Bingarape, CIAF Fashion Performance will highlight the creative talent of designers, models, performers and creatives as First Nations culture is presented through the medium of fashion and wearable art.
