Page 34 - Tropic Magazine Issue 18

TROPIC • COVER STORY

we have to our country and people,
and the cultural identity that defines
us,” she said. “This year’s program Daisy Hamlot, Gudar, Painting 2017
highlights CIAF’s ability to be inclusive,
to embrace and empower artists and
communities in one fantastic event that
brings all people together to celebrate
the two cultures of Queensland First
Peoples’.”
Ms Harding puts its longevity down
to variety and diversity. “CIAF draws
together communities from every
corner of the state, including the Torres
Strait and then provides a dynamic
multi-arts platform to share stories
over three action-packed days,” she
said. There’s an extraordinary breadth
of talented artists open to contribute
to the sector on their terms, through
a dialogue that is immersive whilst
crushing the western construct of the
term ‘art’.
CIAF General Manager Vanessa Gillen
told Tropic the event is also renowned
for being a quality source of art work
for both curators and collectors. “This
is heartening because it underpins
the quality, diversity and depth of
Queensland’s Indigenous art movement
while taking it to a global audience,”
she said. “There is no doubt that CIAF
is the quintessential celebration of
Queensland Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander culture. In contrast
to our early days when we paid for
art collectors and curators to attend
the event, we now see international
collectors and curators travel here to
experience the incredible celebratory
atmosphere of CIAF and purchase art
works for major galleries and private
collections across the globe”.

COMING OF AGE

The real coming of age for CIAF came
in 2013, when the event transitioned
from an Arts Queensland program
to a corporate entity. Community
members and organisers proved it CIAF 2018, Art Fair, Lovegreen Photography
could operate outside the auspices of

34 • Tropic • Issue 18