Words by M. Ganambarr
Images courtesy of James Alberts
There is something strange about spending almost an entire year working towards one week, only for that week to pass in what feels like a moment.
DAAF Week was busy, exhausting, exciting and incredibly rewarding. After months of emails, meetings, content, planning and preparation, suddenly everyone was in Darwin, familiar faces were arriving from across the country, and everything we had been working towards was happening around us.
What stayed with me most was not necessarily the scale of the events, but the people, relationships and stories at their centre. Across Country to Couture, the National Indigenous Fashion Awards (NIFA) and the 20th Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, there was an incredible sense of mob coming together to celebrate mob — surrounded by love, pride and praise.
Behind the Scenes and Country to Couture
Country to Couture was a highlight of the week for me. This year marked a new chapter, moving outdoors to Charles Darwin University under the boab trees on Larrakia Country and expanding across two nights with two shows.
I was also lucky enough to spend more time with our Indigenous Fashion Projects team in the lead-up this year. Being with the team earlier gave me a greater appreciation for just how much happens before anyone takes their seat. Months of planning turn into long days on the ground, last-minute changes, problem-solving and countless details happening behind the scenes.
Then the runway starts, and everything changes.
Watching the collections come down the runway and seeing artists, designers and communities celebrated made all of that work suddenly visible. The garments carried stories of Country, culture, family and identity, reminding me that Country to Couture is so much more than fashion. It is storytelling, collaboration and culture coming together.
NIFA gave us another opportunity to celebrate that creativity, recognising the artists, designers, Art Centres and creatives shaping First Nations fashion and textiles. In the middle of such a busy week, it was special to stop for a moment and see mob celebrating mob and each other's achievements.
Coming Together at DAAF
Moving into the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair brought a different energy.
This year felt particularly significant as we celebrated 20 years of DAAF. Walking through the Darwin Convention Centre and seeing Art Centres and artists from across Australia together on Larrakia Country made me think about the many artists, communities and people who have shaped the Fair over the past two decades.
There was also so much happening beyond the artworks themselves. Cultural performances brought people together through song, dance and storytelling. A personal highlight for me was seeing the Torres Strait Islands represented by the Kerkar Kus Dance Team and watching culture being shared and celebrated in the middle of the Fair.
The Public Program created further opportunities for artists to share their practices and knowledge through masterclasses, workshops and conversations, while the Cultural Keepers program created space for cultural knowledge and intergenerational exchange. Together, these moments were a reminder that DAAF is about so much more than an art fair.
Some of my favourite moments, though, were also the simplest — artists talking with visitors, Art Centre teams reconnecting, old friends seeing each other again and conversations happening throughout the Fair.
For me, that is what DAAF is ultimately about: connection.
A Year in the Making
After spending so long preparing for DAAF Week, it is easy to get caught up in deadlines, schedules, content and whatever needs to happen next. Being there reminded me to stop, look around and appreciate what all of that work contributes to.
Across Country to Couture, NIFA and DAAF, I saw First Nations artists, designers, Art Centres and communities sharing their work and stories on their own terms. I saw culture celebrated, relationships strengthened and mob taking up space with pride.
And then, almost as quickly as it began, it was over.
A year of work comes together in one week, but the relationships, stories and moments created throughout it stay with you much longer. That is what I will carry with me from DAAF Week 2026.