THE ultimate platform for Queensland Indigenous artists to tell their stories, the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair 2016, will take place from June 15-17.
More than 50,000 people attended the series of free and ticketed events last year and organisers are confident even more will visit in 2016.
The fair, which will be held at the Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal and venues throughout the Cairns CBD, will feature a rich diversity of mediums from 100-plus artists. Many of the works originate from remote communities such as Mornington Island, Lockhart River and Pormpuraaw.
Works from local galleries and national commercial galleries will also be displayed.
The fair will include a market, which will serve as an ethical point of sale for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, and an art exhibition titled Cultural Bliss: a survey of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander happiness.
Artistic curator Janina Harding joined with community-based art centres to develop the exhibition, which will bring a different understanding of the artists and their work and what defines their country and community.
Other drawcards over the three days include a daily program of dance and musical performances, the Cairns premiere of Spear, a film by Stephen Page, and a collection of archival films depicting Queensland Indigenous culture of decades past.
The Collectors and Curators program invites representatives from private collections, major art galleries and institutions from Australia and around the world, to view and buy the work of Queensland artists including Christian Thompson, Mavis Ngallametta, Rosella Namok, Fiona Omeenyo and a host of emerging creatives.
The Jana Jaral Fashion Performance will show off the atest in wearable art inspired by the amazing far north Queensland environment by Indigenous designers and artists, donned by local models.