Entertainment
3 October, 2026
Stars align for cultural show
A CONSTELLATION of First Nations artists has come together to launch the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair’s 18th season, creating a collaborative artwork for CIAF’s 2027 theme, ‘Superhighway: Country sings to stars dancing’.
The hero artwork was created with the Gimuy/Cairns-based, First Nations-led creative agency Red Ochre Republic and features individual star contributions from Teho Ropeyarn, Peggy Kasabad Lane, Jack Wilkie-Jans, Tarquin Singleton, Sheree Jacobs, Sandra Delaney, Douglas Tamwoy, Daphne de Jersey and Sabrina Rose-Toby.
Developed through CIAF’s curatorial process, the theme brings together the ideas of artistic director Teho Ropeyarn and contributions from First Nations artists and cultural practitioners Peggy Kasabad Lane and Jack Wilkie-Jans.
“Superhighway takes us forward. It is also a nod to Yothu Yindi’s immense cultural influence and speaks to the living networks, from land and sea to sky and stars, and how that ancestral knowledge continues to move, evolve and find new expression through art, technology and contemporary practice,” Mr Ropeyarn said.
“For audiences, that could translate into many different artistic responses and scales. From ancient knowledge through to contemporary art forms to works exploring Country, memory, movement, technology and our relationship with the cosmos. What will be exciting is seeing how individual artists interpret the Superhighway paradigm.”
Red Ochre Republic’s Sheree Jacobs said the collaborative artwork allowed the artists’ individual creativity to shine.
“Each star reflects the vision of the artist who created it. We wanted to honour those individual stories and visual identities while bringing the elements together in a way that allows them to move as one,” Ms Jacobs said.
The artwork will be featured across CIAF’s new website, digital platforms, campaign creative, multimedia and event spaces ahead of the July fair.
Expressions of interest for CIAF 2027 close on 16 November, with Queensland First Nations artists, artisans, musicians, dancers and creative practitioners invited to participate.
CIAF 2027 will be held at Tanks Arts Centre from 8 to 11 July 2027.
