Returning to its home at the Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair 2025 has been hailed a record-breaking success, drawing 14,909 spectators across four days, generating almost $700,000 in art sales, and stimulating the region by $6.19 million across four vibrant days of art, culture, and connection.
Guided by the powerful theme Pay Attention!, the 16th edition opened to a sell-out crowd and closed to a packed audience at the final ceremony, contributing $4.46 million in direct and incremental expenditure to the total $6.19 million economic stimulus for the Cairns region.
After delivering his first CIAF in 2025, artistic director Teho Ropeyarn has enjoyed time to reflect.
"CIAF is not just a showcase, it is a platform with purpose-where creativity leads to self- determination, truth-telling and cultural pride," he said.
CIAF chair Bianca Beetson said this year's results are a testament to the power of Ropeyarn's artistic vision.
"With record attendance, robust sales, and wide-reaching engagement, CIAF continues to show how culture drives not only creativity and connection, but also tangible outcomes for artists, communities, and the wider economy," she said.
"It demonstrates that when First Nations voices lead, the results speak for themselves."
Findings from the latest independent IER evaluation reinforce these achievements, confirming CIAF's unique role in generating both cultural and economic impact.
The report highlights that CIAF 2025 delivered more than 9,600 visitor nights and a $6.19 million gross economic stimulus to the Cairns region, while also strengthening civic pride, with 96 per cent of attendees rating the event as a great experience and 89 per cent affirming that Cairns should be proud to host it.
Sales from the Art Fair Showcase reached $414,000, while the Artisans Showcase recorded $281,602.88, for a combined total of nearly $700,000. In addition, CIAF directed $240,228.72 back to artists and performers as part of its program, including art awards.
Indigenous businesses engaged through CIAF, including food vendors, received a further $71,912.35, underscoring CIAF's role as a powerful economic driver and cultural gathering.
Now in its ninth year, the CIAF Art Awards awarded $60,000 across six categories. The Premier's Award for Excellence went to Bernard Singleton (Yakal Creatives) for his wood carving Offering (2025), while the People's Choice Award went to Dylan Sarra for Native Police Spears.
CIAF's Talks program also added another dimension of engagement, with more than 20 scheduled and ad hoc artist talks and guided tours attracting close to 250 attendees across the weekend.
From booth conversations to curated guided tours led by prominent artists and curators, the program connected audiences with stories behind the works, reinforcing CIAF's role as both marketplace and meeting place.
CIAF's digital presence also progressively soared in 2025, with more than 1.8 million views and 30,000 followers across platforms.
The inaugural Ambassador Program, led by cultural content creator Talicia Minniecon, brought roving interviews, behind-the-scenes content, and community voices to a global audience.
CIAF has now unveiled its 2026 curatorial theme and dates, with the 17th anniversary to be staged from the 9th-12th of July 2026 at the Tanks Arts Centre.
"Reclamation is a powerful act of cultural resurgence... regeneration breathes new life into it - a dynamic force rooted in ancestral knowledge yet reaching boldly into the future," said Ropeyarn.
Bianca Beetson, added that the thematic wording honours the resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and their ability to not only reclaim what has been denied but to regenerate culture in ways that empower future generations.
In 2025 CIAF proved that First Nations communities and creatives are not just creating engaging pieces of art but more so telling the story of culture through contemporary mediums.
The Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) is Australia's premier First Nations-led art fair and cultural celebration, held annually on Gimuy Walubara Yidinji Country in Gimuy/Cairns, Queensland.
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