The Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation (DAAFF) has announced that it will take its August event online, following the national outbreak of COVID-19 that continues to develop.
According to DAAFF, its Board was unanimous in its decision to take the event online to prioritise and protect the health and safety of the participating artists and visitors.
This will be the second time the Fair has been run online, following outbreaks and lockdowns in 2020.
A decision about the fashion events, Country to Couture and the National Indigenous Fashion Awards is expected to be made at a board meeting later this month.
DAAFF executive director Claire Summers said that the decision to stage the Fair online was a difficult one to make.
"It was a heartbreaking decision as we had hoped to bring the national community together on Larrakia Country this year.
"We know, however, this is the right approach as it was based on the advice we have received from relevant authorities and feedback from our Art Centre participants.
"As always, safety is paramount," she said.
The Fair and public program will be presented via the DAAFF website, providing audiences with the opportunity to browse collections and purchase directly from Art Centres through the platform.
In 2020, the digital fair attracted its largest-ever global audience, and the 2021 instalment will return with reengineered features and interactivity to further enhance the user experience.
Summers added that the organisation is expecting this year's digital event to be a great success.
"Despite not being physically together this year, we are confident that we can unite digitally to celebrate the art and culture of our incredible network of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
"In fact, building on last year’s success and insights, we predict this year to be bigger and better than ever," she said.
The digital Fair will be open to the public from 10am ACST on Friday, 6 August, through to 5pm ACST on Wednesday, 11 August.
Attendees can get early access to the online platform by pre-registering on the DAAFF website.