Utopia is a relatively new enterprise nestled in Arlparra in remote Central Australia. This not-for-profit, 100% Alyawarr and Anmatyerr owned Art Centre supports artists across the 16 Homelands of the Utopia.

As artist Sam Jampijinpa Mbitjana Dixon says of the initiative:

“We’re strong. We’ve been holding this country. We’ve been waiting a long time for that power to come back. Old people gave us that power a long time ago and now we’re making strong canvas here. This is our art story now.”

DAAFF is delighted to welcome Utopia to their first Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair in 2022.

Hailing from one of South Australia’s most remote Aboriginal communities, Dunjiba Community Artists made quite the debut a DAAFF’s hotly anticipated Country to Couture fashion show in 2021. The community worked in collaboration with Peak Body Ku Arts over three years to create their bold, contemporary fashion collection. Pastel sportswear paired with bold prints and even bolder accessories were positively vibrant on the C2C runway. 

Featuring work by artists Kaye Finn, Carmen Amos and Richard Aitken, the collection was manufactured through The Social Studio, an accredited ethical clothing manufacturing studio in Melbourne. Dunjiba Fashion sales are set to support future creative and artistic programs led by Dunjiba Community Artists – and we can’t wait to see what they do next!

Hermannsburg artists keep the legacy of the great Albert Namatjira and his Hermannsburg School watercolour tradition alive and well for future generations. The dedicated group of Western Arrarnta artists working at Hermannsburg Potters create handmade ceramic pots that embody the histories and traditions of their homelands.

Each artist is highly skilled in both terracotta clay hand-building and the watercolour landscape painting that characterises the Hermannsburg style. Each artwork reads like a love letter to Country, community and traditions, the local critters as well as elements of contemporary life.

The Hermannsburg Potters Art Centre supports these local artists and their families, fostering the growing local economy of Hermannsburg. Catch the Potters at this year’s Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair from 5-7 August. 

Shilo McNamee joined The Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation (DAAFF) in 2018, and became the Artistic Director in 2021. Of Eastern Arrernte, Greek and Anglo-Irish descent, Shilo lives and breathes the arts, also practicing as a visual artist, musician and curator.

Shilo graduated from Charles Darwin University with a bachelor’s in fine arts in 2008. She has since lived and worked in the Top End, becoming an important figure in the Darwin arts community. 

As a visual artist, Shilo’s practice is informed by graphic art and illustration. She regularly instructs classes on drawing and painting and enjoys bringing this practical knowledge to her role at DAAFF, more recently as the Creative Director for the IFP Runway at AAFW.

The work coming out of Alice Springs-based Tangentyere Artists and Yarrenyty Arltere Artists represents the breadth and depth of Central Australian cultural diversity.

The Tangentyere Artists Art Centre is the vibrant the hub for Town Camp Arts in Alice Springs. Yarrenyty Arltere Artists is a unique Town Camp enterprise and works closely with Tangentyere Artists.

Tangentyere artists have become well known for figurative paintings on canvas and metal, some with textual references ranging from the purely descriptive to the political. Yarrenyty Arltere Artists are internationally acclaimed for their soft sculpture works – exciting and bold expressions of life, culture and resilience. 

As Yarrenyty Arltere artist Dulcie Sharpe says:

“The art makes us think of our culture in another way and what we want people to know. It’s good for everyone to have a place like this it helps us be part of both worlds.”