arts

Final call for artists to take part in the 2027 Cairns Indigenous Art Fair

Phoebe Blogg Published November 9, 2026 at 2.30pm (AWST)

CIAF 2026 Art Fair Showcase featuring works by Jimmy K. Thaiday (foreground). (Image: Blueclick Photography)

Queensland First Nations artists, artisans, musicians, dancers and workshop facilitators have until Monday November 16 to apply to take part in the 2027 Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF), which invites creative responses to the theme Superhighway: Country Sings to Stars Dancing.

Superhighway explores the living networks that connect Country, cultures and knowledge across generations, from land and sea to sky and stars and continues an evolving curatorial journey from Pay Attention! in 2025 through Reclamation & Regeneration in 2026, building on CIAF's commitment to First Nations storytelling and creative expression.

CIAF artistic director Teho Ropeyarn said the annual EOI process was about much more than programming an event, providing an important platform for Queensland First Nations artists to share culture, stories and contemporary creative practice with audiences from across Australia and internationally.

"CIAF is built on First Nations voices, stories and cultural expression, and each year we want to hear from artists and practitioners at different stages of their creative journey," Mr Ropeyarn said.

"From emerging and independent artists finding a platform alongside established practitioners, to musicians and dancers sharing language, movement and song, and artists passing on knowledge through our Masterclass Series, these opportunities are about visibility, cultural continuity and creating pathways for First Nations artists.

"CIAF is also a place for truth-telling and cultural sovereignty, a platform where artists can tell their own stories, honour enduring cultural knowledge and explore new and contemporary forms of expression."