New artworks from over 40 Aboriginal owned art centres will take centre stage at the Darwin Festival when the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair moves into the Convention Centre from August 12 - 14.
Works from established and emerging artists representing Aboriginal communities in the Kimberley, the Western Desert, the Top End and the Gulf country will be on display under one roof as the Art Fair enters it’s fifth year. This year a record number of stalls have been booked for the Fair, which generated over a million dollars in sales in 2010. About a hundred Aboriginal artists and artsworkers from remote communities are expected to attend the event.
Every August Darwin becomes the centre of the universe for Indigenous art as artists, curators, collectors and critics converge on the Top End for a series of high profile events including Garma Festival, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair and the many exhibitions hosted at galleries all over Darwin.
A series of workshops and public forums will be held during the Fair giving members of the public the chance to meet and interact with artists, as well as art centre staff, curators and art dealers. The program includes demonstrations of pandanus weaving by Arnhem Land weavers famous for their mats and baskets as well as workshops in boab nut carving by artists from the East Kimberley and painting demonstrations by leading artists working in natural ochres.
Interim Chair of the Art Fair, Cathy Cummins, says Darwin is fast becoming Australia’s leading art tourism destination. “This time of year in Darwin is like a festival of Aboriginal art,” she said. “There’s so much going on here, we get visitors from all over the country and around the world,” said Ms Cummins.
The Art Fair, which is restricted to Aboriginal community owned art centres, will also host a public forum each day where controversial issues and new trends in the art world will be the subject of panel discussions. “With so many people here who have an interest in Aboriginal art, it’s the perfect time and place to talk about new directions and future trends in the industry,” Ms Cummins said.
Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair aims to provide economic opportunities for community art centres and a unique cultural experience for the people of Darwin and visitors to the Top End. “There’s nowhere else in the world where you can see so much art under one roof that comes from the very heart of Australian culture,” said Ms Cummins.
Media Enquiries: Tony Collins 0407 729 681
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