Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) – a flagship First Nations event in Far North Queensland – is pulling out all the stops for its 16th edition. The main Fair will be held at Tanks Arts Centre this year, a culturally significant site with a WWII history, now part of the lush Cairns Botanic Gardens precinct.
Each year, CIAF brings hundreds of artists and performers together across exhibitions, fashion, performances, talks and cultural programming. It’s also a platform for truth-telling conversations, learning and collaboration, with the 2025 theme ‘Pay Attention!’.
The CIAF Collectors Program, hosted by First Nations curator Bruce Johnson McLean, and the CIAF On Country VIP Program, hosted by celebrated artist Tony Albert, aim to take visitors deeper into the cultural fabrics of Gimuy/Cairns.
These curated itineraries will provide access to not only artworks and studio visits on Country, but also invaluable networks for people to build lasting connections.
CIAF from an artist’s perspective
Elverina Johnson (Gungganji and Yindinji Gimuy) is an artist of many trades, hailing from the Yarrabah Aboriginal Community in Far North Queensland. She first participated in CIAF for the 2022 Fashion Performance, and has since grown artistically, professionally and personally.
Johnson tells ArtsHub, “Participating in CIAF has had a big impact – it’s created a lot more opportunities but also just allowed for personal growth and development of my craft.”
She will be exhibiting several paintings in the Art Fair this year. “The works I’m showing are predominantly my stories. When I think of the theme ‘Pay Attention!’, I want to tell the story of me growing up as a child and all the intricate details of what that looked like.
“Growing up, me, my mum and my siblings lived on the beach in a little tin shack; fishing was a really big part of my life and it still is today. That has taught me a lot, not just about fish and the reef, but about life.”
The biggest learning Johnson wants to share is to “just cast your net”. She explains, “When I go fishing and cast my net, I don’t always know what’s in the water, but the thing is to just keep having a go until you do get something.”
Johnson adds that CIAF’s cornerstone fashion performance is not only an opportunity for First Nations designers, but also up and coming models. “A lot of models who did CIAF for the first time have gone on to do greater things and found their niche,” she explains, “so there’s the chance for anyone to develop if they want to be a part of it – whether it’s in fashion, visual arts or performing arts.”
The CIAF 2025 opening night on 10 July is a moment of visibility and celebration for many of these artists.
Johnson concludes, “That’s the ultimate goal of my craft – to tell my story … I just love being able to walk around the art fair at CIAF and see what everyone else is doing.”
CIAF runs from 11-13 July, with the 2025 Fashion Performances, ‘Look and Listen’ occurring on 10-11 July. The CIAF On Country VIP Program and Collectors Program starts from 7 July. Learn more.
