Queensland Indigenous fashion is set to be highlighted over the next week during the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF).
Using a digital platform to deliver the 11th instalment of the program during the pandemic, the event comprises of more than 40 live stream presentations, performances, webinars, conversations and virtual gallery exhibitions from 300 Indigenous visual and performing artists.
Fashion events include a conversation around Queensland Indigenous fashion and a showcase titled 'Water is Sacred.'
CIAF artistic director Janina Harding said that the event is crucial to promoting the sharing of culture and community.
"For CIAF as an organisation, there was never a question to cancel this year’s event in response to the global pandemic.
"It was more a case of, what can we do to make sure this year’s event proceeds as planned and continues supporting artists and communities.
"CIAF is more than an event; it plays an integral role in cultural sharing and promoting better understanding with the wider community," she said.
Queensland Minister for the Arts Leeanne Enoch said CIAF 2020 will celebrate and share the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures in Queensland with a global audience.
"Now in its 11th year, CIAF sets up an ethical marketplace for artists and buyers, showcasing new work and providing career pathways for emerging visual and performing artists.
"This year’s innovative program is an opportunity to explore virtual galleries and exhibitions, performances, talks, fashion and storytelling from the vibrant and diverse First Nations communities in Queensland," she said.
The CIAF takes place from 14-23 August 2020.