Online art fairs changed the game for Indigenous art. Here’s how to buy it | Indigenous art

It’s been a tough three years for many Aboriginal arts centers in Australia. As the pandemic spread and the Northern Territory — where many are based — implemented strict border closures, things looked bleak for regional and remote artists who depend largely on tourism.

But thanks to a quick turnaround on the internet, a crisis turned into something of a boom.

“We couldn’t travel interstate and all tourism stopped – but we were amazed at how quickly art galleries and art fairs went online,” says Ruth McMillan, arts coordinator at Tangentyere Artists in Alice Springs. “For us, the online art fair was fantastic. It meant the revenue didn’t stop for the artists.”

One of these was the Tarnanthi Art Fair; The Art Gallery of South Australia’s annual event debuted as an online-only show in 2021 after a hybrid 2020. The inclusion of Tangentyere artists in 2020 opened a window on the world at a time when Australian Indigenous art was becoming increasingly sought after among collectors and consumers. “We’ve sold factories in Asia and America and other centers to Europe,” says McMillan. “We have sold works to the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates. We have sold a lot of work to expats abroad and to embassies. It was an unexpected surprise.”

Every dollar from Tarnanthi sales goes directly to the art makers or art centers, giving buyers the peace of mind that all artwork is ethically made and sold. At last year’s event, held over three days in October, Tarnanthi sold $1.4 million worth of work from some 50 arts centers and independent artists — about 16% more than previous in-person events.

Buoyed by this success, the 2022 Tarnanthi (pronounced tar-nan-dee) art fair, which opens today, will be fully online again: an accessible exhibition of paintings, ceramics, sculpture, woven objects, jewellery, textiles, clothing and housewares from art centres and Aboriginal artists in South Australia, Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Victoria and Queensland.

The fair will also feature a series of lectures, online workshops with artists and language tutorials in Kaurna, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara – some of which will be available online afterwards.

“It’s quite a remarkable model for us,” McMillan said. “We don’t incur any real costs online, and all the money goes back to the cultural center.”

Indigenous arts centers are often located in the heart of a remote community. They provide the artists with studio space, art materials and technical support; Some also offer breakfast and lunch, as well as space for a chat. The money that goes back to the centers could be shared among artists or the wider community, or used to subsidize support programs for nutrition, literacy and numeracy, after-school and holiday care, or education and employment. And all help artists sell their work ethically through galleries and art fairs, and ensure First Nations artists are paid for their work.

Tangentyere translates as coming together or collaborating: While many arts centers only serve one or two language groups, “we have people from a dozen or more different locales and language groups working together on a daily basis,” explains McMillan. “People have come from all over the central desert and need to negotiate a common space.”

The center is known for its figurative “true story” paintings that document both ancient ways of life and contemporary city camp life. Every day in Tangentyere is different. A morning bus picks up the artists from the town camps circling Alice Springs, and the artists have a quick breakfast before setting off. Work ends at 3:00 p.m. after lunch, as many are “Nannas” with multiple family commitments.

The particular vulnerability of regional and remote Aboriginal communities to Covid-19 has been highlighted in Tangentyere. Some of his artists need dialysis treatment. The center’s oldest artist turned 80 this year. The youngest is 18.

Despite the NT borders being closed until December 2021, Tangentyere artists and staff continued to adhere to security protocols. Social distancing was implemented, with artists using the studio on a list and working 1.5m apart. The gallery was closed to the public except on Saturdays when the artists were not there. Staff also put together art packs — including paints or weaving materials — for artists to work from home. “Most people were happy with the border closures, happy not to travel,” says McMillan. “It even became a subject of art.”

The Tarnanthi Art Fair has been held since 2015. Its artistic director, Nici Cumpston, says the online fair is likely to continue beyond 2022, although an in-person event is also planned.

“Nothing could be better than the personal experience of seeing the art in the country it’s from, but I think people are used to buying almost everything online,” she says. In a way, the pandemic has also been good for artists, she adds. “With most art centers closed to the public, it was relatively quiet for the artists and they were able to really focus on their work.”

With no tourists to interact with, the artists “had more free time, and a lot of them started pushing boundaries and coming up with new ideas,” says Cumpston. “I’ve seen a real change in how artworks are made, but that’s perhaps not so surprising – artists always make the best of a situation.”

How to Buy Tarnanthi Art Fair Art Online

Between Friday 14th October 5pm and Monday 17th October 9pm the Tarnanthi Art Fair is available on this website. You’ll find all of the programmed arts centers in one place, which is helpful for those who might not know what’s out there.

The other important aspect for buyers is confidence that each piece of art is ethically made and sold according to the indigenous art code. There is no cost to the arts centers to participate, every dollar from all sales goes directly to the artists/arts centers, and you buy direct from the artists as opposed to the secondary market like auctions where the artists may only receive a 5% resale fee.

The art centers are listed from A to Z. Take time to learn where in Australia the art was made, who made it and read the story behind the work. Prices are clearly marked and range from $40 tea towels to small paintings on canvas (about $150-$400) to major works priced at around $1,200-$3,000 to $10,000-$15,000 .

You don’t have to bid; just go ahead and buy. You can search by art—such as painting, weaving, jewelry, t-shirts, or carving—or you can search by budget, artist name, or art center. The work will be shipped to you directly from the art center (shipping and freight charges are extra).