CIAF 2026 will bring together more than 450 artists, exhibitors, performers and presenters in a dynamic four-day program spanning visual art, fashion, music, dance, theatre, talks, masterclasses, award ceremonies, children’s programming, Elders Lounge and cultural exchange.
The program will begin on Thursday, 9 July at Tanks Arts Centre with a powerful Opening Night celebration headlined by award-winning Zenadth Kes/Torres Strait Islander dance troupe Naygayiw Gigi (Northern Thunder), alongside an all-star First Nations performance line-up spanning rainforest, Cape York and Zenadth Kes/Torres Strait cultural practices, including performances by emcee Charmaine ‘Dizzy’ Doolan, QMusic’s 2026 Regional Artist of the Year Djawarray, Circa Cairns, Yidinji Dancers and vocalist Kaybee.
In 2026, the Art Fair Showcase will present 34 exhibitors representing more than 90 artists across Tanks 3 and 4, spanning art centres, commercial galleries and independent practitioners. The Artisans Showcase will reach a new scale (comprising 38 market stalls), showcasing the work of more than 130 artists, marking the largest Artisans program in CIAF’s history.
There’ll also be Fashion Performances, a Talks Program, Masterclasses, Music and dance performances, as well as Family, Elders and community activations throughout the four–day program
CIAF Fashion Performances at The Mill
25 designers – the largest line– up in CIAF fashion history – including, for the first time, international collections from three Indigenous designers and a guest designer from Indigenous Fashion Week New York – will present two immersive performances responding to the theme Reclamation & Regeneration.
Community Show – Thursday 9 July 2026
Show 1 – Reclamation. Doors open at 12.00 pm for the 1:00 pm performance
Show 2 – Regeneration. Doors open at 2.30 pm for the 3:30 pm performance
Fashion Performance Premiere with red carpet arrival, exhibition & pop–up – Friday 10 July 2026
Show 1 – Reclamation. Doors open at 4:00 pm for the 5.00 pm performance. Pop–Up Shop opens from 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Show 2 – Regeneration. Doors open at 7.00 pm for the 8:00 pm performance. Pop–Up Shop opens from 9:15 pm – 10:30 pm
Mark Makers Talks and Masterclasses
From traditional weaving and shell adornment to contemporary jewellery-making, and from Paiwan needlework to keynote conversations and panel discussions with leading Indigenous creatives, the curated program offers audiences rare opportunities to learn directly from artists while engaging with the ideas shaping contemporary First Nations art and culture.
• Archibald Prize-winning artist Blak Douglas is making his Cairns debut with the keynote Blak Portraits and the Archibald Prize, offering insight into his celebrated practice and journey as one of Australia’s most influential contemporary First Nations artists.
• A keynote presentation by multidisciplinary artist Luke Currie-Richardson exploring identity, storytelling and navigating artistic practice between cultures and communities.
• Gungganji and Gimuy Walubara Yidinji artist Elverina Johnson will present the keynote Reclaiming our Narratives through Regeneration of our Storytelling, reflecting on storytelling, cultural survival and creative self-determination across music, painting, photography, theatre and fashion.
• International cultural exchange through Taiwanese Indigenous artist Sigesile Kalidoai’s masterclass Needlework of the Ancestors/Paiwan Designs for Today, sharing contemporary interpretations of traditional Paiwan textile practices.
• Hands-on workshops in jewellery-making, weaving and adornment led by artists Sabrina Toby, Carly Wallace and Vicki Newie, each grounded in cultural knowledge, sustainability and connection to materials and place.
Intergenerational Exchange
All-ages public programming is designed to foster intergenerational connection through storytelling, creativity, cultural sharing, and accessible engagement with First Nations art and culture, positioning participation, inclusion and cultural exchange at the heart of the festival experience.
After its successful introduction in 2025, the Púuna play space returns in 2026, bigger and better, presented in partnership with PÚUNA, a global, First Nations-led creative platform focused on culturally grounded learning and play experiences for children and families.
Circa Cairns will present a new female acrobatic duet exploring First Nations women’s strength, leadership and storytelling through contemporary circus practice, alongside participatory youth workshops focused on confidence, connection and cultural pride.
CIAF’s dedicated Accessibility Hour will run daily from 9 am to 10 am at Tanks Arts Centre, offering a quieter and more relaxed environment with reduced sensory stimulation for visitors who may benefit from a calmer experience. The venue is wheelchair-accessible
Meanwhile, in the shade of the Fig Tree near Tank 4, the Welcome Blak Home Elders Lounge, by Flashblak founder Kerry Klimm, will serve as a dedicated gathering place for Elders to rest, connect, yarn, and share stories in a welcoming environment inspired by home, memory, and cultural continuity.
Responding to place and community, Gimuy Walubara Yidinji Elders will also present storytelling sessions and cultural arts and crafts activities for children, inspired by ancestral stories from Yidinji Country, creating opportunities for cultural learning and intergenerational exchange.
Emerging Artist Sofii Belling Harding Yarrabah residency leads to CIAF debut
A six-week ceramics residency with Yarrabah Arts and Cultural Precinct, supported through Creative Australia’s Young People: First Nations Arts & Culture Project Fund, gave Sofii Belling Harding the opportunity to spend the month of May immersed in the vibrant creative environment of Yarrabah Arts Centre, where she was mentored by Aunty Michelle Yeatman, while working alongside Aunty Philomena Yeatman and Aunty Edna Ambrym.
Sofii described her time with the award-winning ceramicists and respected Elders as a life-changing experience, made even more special by sharing it with her two-year-old daughter, Dunguludja.
Torres Strait theatre work The Boy Who Found His Way Home
The play is a heartwarming and humorous Zenadth Kes/Torres Strait Islander coming-of-age theatre work by author, poet and songwriter Jillian Boyd-Bowie, a powerful story of identity, culture and belonging.
Following a highly successful premiere season in May 2025 at the Gab Titui Cultural Centre amphitheatre, where more than 500 people attended across two nights, the production will be presented for a special one-off performance at CIAF 2026.
Making her playwriting debut, Jillian Boyd-Bowie (Bid Buai – Dolphin People and Bakir Bi) tells the story of Iothamo, a young city boy who returns to Zenadth Kes/Torres Strait and reconnects with culture, family and Country. Through mango chores, no-filter aunties and a local fishing competition, Iothamo’s journey unfolds with humour, warmth and cultural insight.
Gaming Experience by acclaimed artist Ryan Presley
The interactive digital activation invites audiences to step into a speculative game environment that explores sovereignty, surveillance, extractive industries, and environmental control through a distinctly First Nations lens.
Installed across three arcade-style gaming stations, Inferno is a work that delivers an immersive and thought-provoking transformation of Tank 3, blending gameplay, digital storytelling and political commentary.
In the game, players navigate a speculative landscape shaped by surveillance and extractive industry, using boomerangs to disrupt mineral-scouting helicopters commonly seen over Central Australia while working to liberate water supplies and extend gameplay.
Through the immersive format, Presley reimagines gaming as a contemporary platform for First Nations storytelling and cultural critique, sparking conversation about the industry, environmental stewardship, and the ongoing impacts of colonial systems.
About CIAF
Since 2009, CIAF has grown into a world-class 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.
CIAF
Reclamation & Regeneration
9–12 July 2026
Tanks Arts Centre and satellite venues across Gimuy/Cairns
