Tarnanthi Art Fair To Be Held From 4 - 6 December

The Art Gallery of South Australia's annual Tarnanthi Art Fair will be held from 4 - 6 December as an in-person event at Lot Fourteen, North Terrace in Adelaide. A key event in AGSA's annual celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art, the Tarnanthi Art Fair is especially important in 2020 to sustain financial support for artists and their communities.

In 2020, the Tarnanthi Art Fair features a curated display of selected works for sale, selected by community-run art centres to showcase established, next-generation and emerging artists from across the continent. Paintings, carvings, weavings, jewellery, clothing, textiles and homewares are available for purchase, priced from $50 upwards. Audiences can also enjoy live music each day at the art fair and video portraits of artists making work, discussing their motivations and traditions.

Tarnanthi Artistic Director Nici Cumpston OAM says, 'The Art Fair is an important part of Tarnanthi. Not only is it an opportunity for visitors to learn more about culture and stories that are embedded in works of art from across the country but visitors can take these stories home and be reminded every day of the deep history that our nation holds.'

The Tarnanthi Art Fair supports the Indigenous Art Code and provides a unique opportunity for art buyers to purchase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art ethically. The Tarnanthi Art Fair has been developed in close consultation with artist communities and in partnership with Not-for-profit Aboriginal organisation; Agency.

AGSA Director Rhana Devenport ONZM says 'Art production is a vital source of income in remote communities - income that supports economic empowerment and cultural resilience. Through the Tarnanthi Art Fair, one of the city's most eagerly anticipated events, buyers are guaranteed that every dollar from sales goes directly back to artists and their communities.'

Also part of Tarnanthi, an exhibition titled Open Hands is on display at AGSA until 31 January. Open Hands celebrates the ongoing and often unseen work of mainly women artists, featuring the work of 87 artists from across the country.