Page 36 - Tropic Magazine Issue 18

TROPIC • COVER STORY

the Government and while a scaled-
back program was held that year,
CIAF returned with a bang in 2014
and has continued to develop and
thrive ever since. “CIAF 2014 was the
first Art Fair delivered by CIAF Ltd
and the event has generated strong
creative and economic outcomes, both
locally and nationally, with more than
280,000 people having participated
in or attended CIAF over the last nine
years,” Ms Gillen said. “More than $6.8
million in Queensland Indigenous art
has been sold.”
In this, the event’s tenth year, it’s grown
to an impressive, jam-packed five day
program featuring art, fashion, live Meriam Mir Choir, Victor Steffensen
music, dance, comedy and workshops.
“Having the opportunity to immerse
yourself in one event and view the
art, hear music, see traditional and
contemporary dance, experience locally
made food and learn through hands-on
workshops with artists is a one-stop Q&A
shop of cultural immersion for our Daisy Hamlot
visitors,” Ms Gillen said.
Hopevale artist
HONOURING ARTISTS What prompted you to start painting when you were in your seventies?
I was sitting around at the art centre and just started to do painting and
Organisers are also honouring the before I started doing my dogs, I was painting all sorts of different things -
artists who were there from the start, like you know – trees, flowers and landscapes. I enjoyed what I was doing and
with a key satellite exhibition at then I started painting my dogs in around 2013 – that was before they became
Tanks Art Centre featuring founding famous.
patron Thancoupie Gloria Fletcher
AO. “The exhibition highlights Where does the interest in this subject matter come from?
Thancoupie’s artistic periods, The dog is my totem. The dingo. That’s my totem, that is why I am doing it. I
revealing her remarkable prowess and have done dogs fighting and giving them pups, having their milk, different
enduring inspiration,” Ms Harding dogs doing different things.
said. “We acknowledge that many of
Queensland First Peoples’ artists have You are also a musician; do you find there are similarities between your
made a significant contribution to the music making and your painting practices?
art fair over this period, with works When there is a concert on I get up and have a sing with my sister and the rest
created, acquired and exhibited by of the band. I have always done that. I like what I sing. I taught my sister Dora
major cultural institutions across the to play the guitar. I play the guitar – but not very often these days. When I was
nation.” younger I played a lot. I enjoy both painting and singing equally.

36 • Tropic • Issue 18