'Deadly' Indigenous remote artists travel to Sydney

Miah Madden is behind the curation of The Living Room and Gallery exhibition at the fair. (ABC News: Adam Wyatt) One of Australia's largest celebrations of First Nations art and culture, the National Indigenous Art Fair, opens tonight. The ABC was given a sneak peek of the weekend event held at Barangaroo in Sydney on the eve of NAIDOC Week. The fair brings together creative works from over 100 artists representing 30 Indigenous art centres. Link copiedShareShare articleMore than 100 artists from 30 remote Indigenous art centres have travelled to Sydney for this weekend's National Indigenous Art Fair. Award-winning artist Kieren Karritpul from the Northern Territory's Daly River is no stranger to the limelight, but is feeling a little nervous about presenting work here for the first time. "It's going to be a different feeling, and seeing a different audience," he says. Kieren Karritpul sits on one of the couches, an art installation as part of the exhibition. (ABC News: Adam Wyatt) Sitting on a couch that features his screen-printed fabric, he explains that he was inspired by the work of his matriarchs. "It's about the coolamon bag that my ancestors used to carry food and water in, travelling from Country to Country," he says. The Ngen'giwumirri artist's detailed work often focuses on stories about fish nets, traps and lily bags. The Living Room and Gallery presents exceptional works from 14 art centres at the fair. (ABC News: Stephanie Boltje) He says he "didn't choose to be an artist" but rather was "born to be one" because of his great-grandmother, grandmother and mother. "I'm going to continue doing what they've been doing, and passing it on to my next generation, my nephews and nieces," he says. Kieren Karritpul has a range of styles, including screen printing, painting, lino printing and etching prints. (ABC News: Adam Wyatt) The road to Sydney has not been easy. His community, Daly River (Nauiyu), experienced its worst flooding on record in February and March. The Merrepen arts centre went under, leaving prints destroyed and screen-printing machines unusable. Three months on, without electricity and water supply, they are still unable to work there. "All the artists in the community are asking when the art centre's going to open, but we can't do anything," he explains. There are a range of styles available showing the diversity of communities. (ABC News: Billy Cooper) The opportunity to share their art this weekend has given the artists a boost. "All the artists were sad and upset and thought we couldn't do any more," he says. "But bringing everything here to Sydney will make everybody happy to see their work still travelling." Miah Madden says her exhibition is a celebration of the artworks. (ABC News: Adam Wyatt) Miah Madden says many artists travel hours by car to their nearest airport before flying to Sydney. For some, this is their first time in the city. "The opportunity to speak to these artists is sometimes once in a lifetime. These artists don't come down to the city often, and they have to travel very far to get here, so it's really special to all be in the one room," the Bundjalung curator says. Remote art centres setting up their stalls at the National Indigenous Art Fair. (ABC News: Billy Cooper) Ms Madden, known for her acting skills in movies like The Sapphires, is behind the curation of The Living Room and Gallery exhibition at the fair. "This exhibition really has such a diverse range of mediums, of styles," Ms Madden says, "works that are more traditional leaning, and then some that are more contemporary. "Some that have just a complete amalgamation [with] individual expression of the artist themselves." The idea is that people can visualise the creations in a space that feels more like their home. All sale proceeds from the artworks go back to the artists and their communities. (ABC News: Billy Cooper) It is expected that as many as 12,000 people will visit the fair at the new cutaway space at Sydney's Barangaroo over the weekend. Selina Kulitja is an artist from the NT desert community of Docker River and is part of the Tjarlirli Art Centre just over the border in Western Australia. Selina Kulitja's artworks often feature healthy drinking water. (ABC News: Adam Wyatt) The community leader was taught weaving and painting by her mother, and now she is teaching the younger generation. She likes to paint the colours of the desert, the blues and greens. It is these details she wants to share with people who come to visit over the weekend. "If they come down and see that painting, and we tell a story about it." Peter Cooley says the fair creates opportunities for remote artists. (ABC News: Adam Wyatt) First Hand Solutions Aboriginal Corporation started a smaller event in 2017 with just 11 art centres. Its chief executive, Peter Cooley, a proud Bidjigal man, says since then it has established a standalone fair and its popularity has grown with visi

'Deadly' Indigenous remote artists travel to Sydney

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