Wik artist Rhonda Woolla prepares a piece to go in CIAF’s Big Sculpture Showcase later this year.
THIS year’s Cairns Indigenous Art Fair is shaping up to be its biggest and most visible yet, with 18 large-scale, 3D artworks to be displayed within the new surrounds of Cairns Convention Centre.
CIAF’s Big Sculpture Showcase aims to activate and enliven the centre’s refurbished surroundings and Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander’s creative industries.
Arts Minister Leeanne Enoch said the large-scale works would showcase First Nations cultures and stories.
“These 18 prominent new artworks have been realised through investment of $200,000 as part of the Queensland government’s $22.5 million Arts and Cultural Recovery Package to enable innovative projects of scale that drive cultural and economic outcomes for destination events in regional Queensland,” she said.
“The Big Sculptures Showcase will elevate First Nation arts and extend CIAF’s reach and impact by creating new and engaging cultural experiences through new mediums.
“Importantly, this innovative initiative will grow economic outcomes for First Nations artists and art centres and grow the artists’ skills, careers and networks.”
CIAF’s Curatorial Associate, Teho Ropeyarn, who is managing the inaugural project, said Big Sculpture Showcase provides a welcome and formative platform for the state’s Indigenous artists after a challenging time.
The 18 larger than life-style artworks in a range of statures and various mediums are expected to arrive in Cairns during May.
