CIAF Supporter Evening at Blaklash - Yarrabah: Together in Print Exhibition Preview

CIAF SUPPORTER EVENING | IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BLAKLASH

You’re warmly invited to an intimate CIAF Supporter Evening, hosted in partnership with Blaklash and in collaboration with Aboriginal Art Co., for a exclusive preview of the Yarrabah: Together in Print exhibition ahead of its official public opening.

This special gathering brings together a curated group of supporters, partners and industry colleagues to share what’s ahead for CIAF 2026 and to acknowledge those who continue to stand alongside Queensland’s leading platform for First Nations art, fashion, design and cultural enterprise.

Tuesday 24 March 2026
6.00pm – 8.30pm
Blaklash / Aboriginal Art Co.
1/23 Anthony Street, West End

The evening includes:

• Exclusive preview of the Yarrabah: Together in Print exhibition presented by Aboriginal Art Co.
• Exhibition tour led by Blaklash Founder, Amanda Hayman
• Official reveal of the artist selected for CIAF 2026 Resonance
• Remarks from Blaklash Managing Director and MC Troy Casey, CIAF Artistic Director Teho Ropeyarn, CIAF Chair Bianca Beetson and CIAF CEO Shavi Kanagaratnam
• Screening of the CIAF 2026 ‘Reclamation & Regeneration’ hero artwork animation

Drinks and canapés will be served.

Numbers are intentionally limited to allow for meaningful connection.

We would be delighted to welcome you in the room.

Aboriginal Art Co presents Yarrabah: Together in Print, an exhibition of screenprinted works by artists from Yarrabah Arts & Cultural Precinct in Far North Queensland. The collection brings together individual prints and large-scale collaborative canvases by renowned artists Philomena Yeatman, Michelle Yeatman, Edna Ambrym, Valmai Pollard, Simone Arnol and Christopher Harris.

Each artwork carries its own rhythm - layers of colour, texture, and mark-making that speak to both individuality and collective expression. Designs intersect and overlap, creating dynamic fields of pattern and narrative. Yarrabah: Together in Print celebrates the strength of working together, where each artist leaves a distinct mark while contributing to a shared visual story of culture, identity and connection.

The Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) is Australia’s premier First Nations-led art fair and cultural celebration, held annually in Gimuy/Cairns, Queensland.

Since 2009, CIAF has grown into a world-class, year-round platform showcasing the richness and diversity of Aboriginal and Zenadth Kes/Torres Strait Islander art and culture, from rainforest to reef, desert to freshwater. More than an art fair, CIAF is a movement: a catalyst for truth-telling, cultural exchange, and contemporary expression across visual art, performance, music, fashion, and storytelling.

Distinctly Queensland yet globally significant, CIAF is renowned for its ethical art marketplace and immersive experiences that attract collectors, curators, and audiences from around the world. Across 2024 and 2025, CIAF generated more than $15 million in economic impact for Queensland, while creating transformative opportunities for thousands of Aboriginal and Zenadth Kes artists.

Looking toward the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and beyond, CIAF is committed to strengthening Queensland’s First Nations arts sector, expanding global connections, and shaping the future of Australia’s cultural identity.

Blaklash, an Aboriginal-owned creative agency directed by Troy Casey and Amanda Hayman, specialises in First Nations placemaking, public art and community engagement. The pair also co-own Magpie Goose, a social enterprise fashion label that showcases First Nations art and design through textiles and ethically made garments, and co-direct Aboriginal Art Co, a not-for-profit art gallery and store in Magadjin / Meanjin / Brisbane.

Resonance is a major new First Nations commissioning initiative led by CIAF in partnership with Blaklash, culminating in the unveiling of a large-scale installation at Tanks Arts Centre, Gimuy/Cairns, for CIAF 2026.

Supported by Arts Queensland’s First Nations Commissioning Fund, the project provides dedicated development, fabrication and mentorship support to a selected First Nations artist, guiding the work from concept through to presentation. The commissioned artwork will premiere as a focal point of CIAF 2026, aligned with the theme Reclamation & Regeneration.

Resonance is designed to extend beyond exhibition outcomes — creating commercial pathways, strengthening career development and contributing to Queensland’s growing First Nations creative economy.