Cairns Indigenous Art Fair Celbrating Queensland Artists
The first Cairns Indigenous Art Fair opened on 21 August 2009 inside three repurposed World War II oil storage tanks in the botanical precinct of Gimuy/Cairns. The Tanks Art Centre, as the venue is known, sits surrounded by tropical rainforest on Gimuy Walubarra Yidinji Country. That first edition drew more than 10,000 visitors over three days, 36 exhibiting organisations sold more than $500,000 worth of art, and visitors arrived from the United States, Europe, Korea and Japan. Nearly one third of those who attended identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. The fair had been established by the Queensland Government as a strategic initiative of its $11.93 million Backing Indigenous Arts program, with Michael Snelling as artistic director for the first two years.
CIAF, pronounced "KI-AF", is the only dedicated Indigenous art market in Australia that exclusively profiles Queensland-born or based Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. That Queensland focus is its defining characteristic. The fair brings together the extraordinary range of cultures, environments and art traditions that exist within the state's borders: Torres Strait Islander artists from the islands between Cape York and Papua New Guinea; Kaiadilt artists from Bentinck Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria; rainforest peoples of the Wet Tropics; Western Cape York communities; and artists from Mornington Island, the Gulf country, and far southwest Queensland. No other single event assembles this breadth of Queensland First Nations creative practice in one place.
In 2013 CIAF transitioned out of direct Queensland Government administration and became CIAF Ltd, an independent not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, governed by a board of directors. It remains supported by both state and federal government funding alongside philanthropic and sponsorship partnerships. Unlike DAAF, which presents art centres only, CIAF includes both art centres and commercial galleries exhibiting together under the same roof, all adhering to the Indigenous Australian Art Commercial Code of Conduct. The fair is the opening event of the annual Cairns Festival each July.
The program extends well beyond the art market floor. CIAF runs an academic symposium, traditional and contemporary dance and music, artist talks and demonstrations, fashion events, children's activities, and a food program. The Collectors and Curators program facilitates direct meetings between artists and serious buyers: over the years, institutions including the National Gallery of Australia, Queensland Art Gallery, Auckland Art Gallery, Harvard University Art Museum and the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection at the University of Virginia have made acquisitions at CIAF. In 2024 the fair contributed more than $9 million to the Queensland economy. The 2025 edition was the 16th, featuring more than 600 visual artists and 150 performers under the theme "Pay Attention!".
CIAF at a glance
- What: Annual art fair exclusively showcasing Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, including both art centres and commercial galleries
- When: Annually in July; opening event of the Cairns Festival
- Where: Tanks Art Centre, Gimuy/Cairns, Gimuy Walubarra Yidinji Country, Queensland
- Founded: 2009 by the Queensland Government; independent not-for-profit from 2013
- Scale: 600+ visual artists; 150+ performers; $9 million+ economic contribution (2024)
- Distinctive focus: Queensland only; the only Australian Indigenous art fair with this exclusive state focus
- Program includes: Art market, exhibitions, academic symposium, fashion, dance, music, artist talks, children's activities, Collectors and Curators program
- Institutions that have purchased at CIAF: National Gallery of Australia, Queensland Art Gallery, Auckland Art Gallery, Harvard University Art Museum, Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection
