Don’t miss Australia’s largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander visual art event, opening Friday 6 August.
The Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (DAAF) is now open via its cutting-edge digital platform, connecting audiences around the world with Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander creatives.
Presented by Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation (DAAFF) now in its 15th year, the schedule features a digital art fair and an online Public Program offering artist masterclasses, artists talks and dance performances.
The annual National Indigenous Fashion Awards kicked off the series of events on 3 August. The following evening, DAAFF’s prominent runway event, Country to Couture showcased collections from Indigenous designers and artists, communities and well-known labels from around the country. Catch some of out top picks below.
Monster Fish Scarf, Maicie Lalara, Silk Sateen Digital Print Scarf, 2020. Image courtesy of Anna Reynolds
Maicie Lalara | Anindilyakwa Arts, NT
Maicie enjoys sharing her culture with diverse audiences, in person and through online workshops. A skilled weaver and designer, Maicie works with various mediums, incorporating the old with the new using both natural fibres and reclaimed ghost nets.
Train Over Country, Lindy Brodie, Acrylic on Canvas. 2019. Image courtesy of Barkly Regional Arts
Lindy Brodie | Barkly Regional Arts, NT
With vivid colour, and a style that teeters between abstract and figurative, Lindy paints her grandfather’s Country, recording the history of Country and the changes it has seen since colonisation.
Love Rocks, Agnes Kohler, Acrylic on Belgian Linen. Image courtesy of MIART
Agnes Kohler | Mornington Island Art (MIART), QLD
Agnes works out of one of the longest established Aboriginal art and cultural organisations in Australia. Mornington Island artists are heavily connected to their land and culture, and this is reflected in their art. Their remoteness means the artists concentrate on cultural and spiritual subject matter – all centred around connection to Country.
Wandjina, Jaiya and Ungud, Shontae Charles, Acrylic on Canvas, 2020. Image courtesy of Mowanjum Aboriginal Art and Culture Centre
Shontae Charles | Mowanjum Aboriginal Art and Culture Centre, WA
Shontae paints the traditional Wandjina stories learned from her childhood but fills her work with a youthful boldness and simplicity.
Bush Trip, Cassaria Young Hogan, Acrylic on Canvas. 2020. Image courtesy of Ninuku Arts
Cassaria Young Hogan | Ninuku Arts, SA
An emerging painter, Cassaria’s works tell the stories of bush trips- digging maku and making cups of tea on the homelands of her grandfather’s Country around the Wataru protected area, 100 kms southwest of Pipalyatjara.
Kapi Tjukurrpa, Punni Brown Nungarrayi, Synthetic Polymer on Linen. 2021. Image courtesy of Papunya Tjupi Arts
Puuni Brown Nungarrayi | Papunya Tjupi, NT
>Puuni’s use of intricate line work paired with a reduced colour palette, create overall mesmerising and detailed compositions.
Papa (Dog), Roma Yanyakarri Butler, Tjanpi (grass), Raffia, Acrylic Wool, 2020. Image courtesy of Tjanpi Desert Weavers
Roma Yanyakarri Butler | Tjanpi Desert Weavers, WA
Roma is a weaver belonging to the Pitjantjatjara language and cultural group. Roma is an award-winning Tjanpi sculptural artist with a particularly unique aesthetic.
Wild Flowers Around the Billabongs and Water Holes, Colleen Charlie, Acrylic on Canvas. Image courtesy of Waralungku Arts
Colleen Charlie | Waralungku Arts, NT
Colleen is an upcoming artist with a distinctive style. Her subject matter reflects her interest in local plants and their medicinal, culinary and cosmetic uses.
History Beneath the Beauty, Jan Gunjaka Griffiths, Natural Pigment on Canvas, 2021. Image courtesy of Waringarri Arts
Jan Gunjaka Griffiths | Waringarri Aboriginal Arts, WA
Jan takes great pride and honour in painting the cultural stories that were handed down from her ancestors and uses a multimedia approach to her artwork.
Wardapi Jukurrpa (Goanna Dreaming), Ruth Nungarray Spencer, Acrylic on Belgium linen, 2021. Image courtesy of Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation
Ruth Nungarray Spencer | Warlukurlangu Artists, NT
Ruth has been painting with Warlukurlangu Artists since she was a teenager and her works tell stories of her Jukurrpa (Dreaming) and Yanjirlpirri Jukurpa (Star Dreaming), which she learned from her ancestors.
Yamaji Country, Margaret Whitehurst, Acrylic on Canvas, 2021. Image by Nicole Dickerson, Yamaji Art
Margaret Whitehurst | Yamaji Art, WA
Margaret’s current works are reflections of Yamaji Country. The second of seven children and the mother of seven children herself, she is an industrious and prolific artist.
Increasing Site, Melissa Sandy, Acrylic Texture, 2021. Image courtesy of Justina Willis
Melissa Sandy | Yinjaa-Barni Art, WA
Originally from Port Hedland in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, Melissa now resides in Roebourne.
Melissa feels grateful to be able to paint and share her works. She paints as a way to express herself – using it as an outlet to relax. Melissa enjoys making others happy through her chosen medium.
Find out more about the program at daaf.com.au, ifp.org.au/country-to-couture and nifa.com.au
