This month comedians from the 2025 Comedy Festival have come together with the aim of raising funds for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
Painting self portraits that will auctioned off with all proceeds going to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, is just one of the many ways the entertainment sector is stepping up and stepping forward to assist the First Nations creative sector.
Comedians including Rhys Nicholson, Zoe Coombs Marr, John Safran, and Michelle Brasier, will auction off their painted self-portraits at Comedy Republic's Second Annual Fairly Poor Portrait Fair.
Running throughout the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, this unique exhibition and silent auction will raise funds for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF).
"Our Communities are vibrant, strong, and highly intelligent. We have this literacy around culture, Land and Community, but how Communities engage with a highly Western concept of literacy is different. I want to engage Communities in those conversations around literacy so they can redefine that space themselves. My vision for the ILF is for the organisation to support remote Communities to engage in literacy in the way they wish," said Indigenous Literacy Foundation chief executive Ben Bowen.
2025 also marks Comedy Republic's second art fair held during the bustling Comedy Festival season, and it leverages the venue's high-volume foot traffic to create an even bigger impact.
As thousands of comedy fans enter through the doors each week, the art fair turns casual observers into active supporters of a charitable cause. By aligning the exhibition with one of the busiest times in Melbourne's cultural calendar, Comedy Republic ensures that the artwork, and the important mission it supports, receives maximum visibility and engagement.
The exhibit also celebrates the lesser-known creative side of comedy's biggest names. Millie Holten, an animator who just released the web series Long Head starring Sam Campbell, is among the featured artists, along with Emma Holland, who studied fine arts at university and brings a practiced eye to her comedic work.
With the link between comedy and literacy at its core, most stand-up and comedic performances begin as words on a page, proceeds from the artwork auction will bolster the ILF's efforts to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have access to culturally relevant books and literacy resources.
All portraits will be displayed at Comedy Republic, where visitors can bid by scanning a QR code. Proceeds benefit the ILF, a national charity that provides culturally relevant books and literacy resources to remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Portraits on display include: Rhys Nicholson, Zoe Coombs Marr, John Safran, Michelle Brasier, Emma Holland, Alex Ward, Millie Holten, Suren Jayemanne, Noah Szto, Jordan Barr, and Granny Bingo. Each has drawn on their artistic background to take part in this fundraiser, which underscores the broader talents within Australia's comedy scene.
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