National Indigenous Art Fair 2025
Strength, Vision & Legacy: The National Indigenous Art Fair returns to Sydney—a two-day celebration of culture, connection and creativity, held on Gadigal Land this NAIDOC Week.
Words HANDE RENSHAW Photos PAUL MCMILLAN
‘I’m inspired by the many artists and communities we work with. Their resilience, creativity, and ability to tell powerful stories through their works is extremely important in breaking down barriers throughout the wider community,’ says Peter Cooley, CEO of First Hand Solutions Aboriginal Corporation
‘I hope visitors are able to come away with a deeper understanding and respect for Indigenous culture. It’s not just about buying art—it’s about engaging with the artists, learning about the stories behind their works, and understanding the importance of connection to country and cultural preservation,’ says Peter Cooley.
Artists of Ampilatwatja in NIAF 2024’s The Living Room installation.
The NIAF will include stunning original artworks to design objects, fashion, jewellery, homewares, and native dyed and hand-printed textiles.
Indigenous artists from some of the most remote regions of Australia will gather for this year’s NIAF.
“I hope that [visitors] recognise the power of art as a means for social change, education, dialogue and economic prosperity.”
‘I want visitors to leave with a sense of responsibility and contribution; knowing that supporting Indigenous artists isn’t just about purchasing a piece of art, but helping to preserve an ancient culture, traditions, and stories of those communities for all Australians to learn, be proud of and celebrate.’
Remote artists travelling to Sydney will also be able to participate in First Hand Solutions’ Heart in Art program, which provides economic and professional development opportunities to First Nations artists working in remote communities.
An exciting new addition this year will be an Indigenous fashion runway show as part of the NIAF, which will highlight new collection pieces that can be then purchased.
“By creating more opportunities for Indigenous businesses and organisations operating at NIAF, it builds a legacy that fosters long term future economic opportunities for our next generations.”
Hayley Dodd of Ikuntju Artists and Peter Cooley, First Hand Solutions Aboriginal Corporation CEO.
‘With a high demand from the public to engage and learn the stories, it helps non-Indigenous people better understand our cultures and deep connection to traditional lands.’
In the spirit of 2025’s NAIDOC Week theme, The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy, NIAF will feature a vibrant program of live music and dance performances.
This July, on the edge of Sydney Harbour, the National Indigenous Art Fair (NIAF) returns to Gadigal Land for its sixth annual gathering—a celebration of culture, creativity and connection. Held at the Overseas Passenger Terminal in The Rocks, the two-day ethical art market and festival brings together over 30 remote Indigenous art centres and makers from across the country—many travelling from the farthest reaches of Australia to share stories and sell their work.
Launched in 2018 as a standalone event evolving from the Blak Markets, NIAF was founded by First Hand Solutions Aboriginal Corporation to provide a culturally safe, city-based platform for Indigenous artists and small businesses. For Peter Cooley, CEO of First Hand Solutions, the fair is deeply personal, as well as incredibly purposeful.
‘Culture, employment, and economic development are key elements to prosperity for our people,’ says Peter. ‘Everything we do at First Hand Solutions—whether it’s the Art Fair, Blak Markets or IndigiGrow—is underpinned by those values.’
From woven baskets to carved sculptures, contemporary fashion, bush foods, hand-dyed textiles, and paintings rich with ancestral knowledge, the works showcased at NIAF represent a diverse spectrum of traditional and contemporary Indigenous art. And often, it’s the artists themselves who are there to share the stories behind each piece.
‘The power of storytelling through art always leaves a profound impact,’ shares Peter. ‘I’ve spoken to artists who use their work to preserve language and oral history—things that might otherwise be lost. That’s the critical role art plays, not just in expression, but in cultural survival.’
This year’s event coincides with NAIDOC Week and reflects its 2025 theme: The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy. From interactive weaving circles and bush food tastings to a live Indigenous fashion runway, NIAF isn’t just a market—it’s a cultural exchange, a space for learning, and a living archive of stories told through object, movement, and material.
‘By showing young people there’s a future in culture through enterprise, we’re creating strength and resilience—this fair is a direct reflection of the vision of our communities, and a way of building legacy for future generations,’ Peter adds.
Visitors will find artworks crafted with native fibres, ochres, and locally sourced materials—some reimagined through contemporary techniques, like copper-wire sculptures from Keringe Arts, outside Alice Springs, who also paint secondhand AFL footballs that carry modern stories alongside ancient ones.
‘Supporting Indigenous artists isn’t just about buying a piece of art. It’s about engaging with the story, understanding the cultural connection, and helping preserve traditions for future Australians to learn from, be proud of, and celebrate,’ Peter says.
At its heart, NIAF is about much more than what’s made. It’s about what’s shared—knowledge, culture and conversation.
‘Economic prosperity for Aboriginal people means economic prosperity for Australia,’ says Peter, ‘this fair is proof of that—and the impact is felt far beyond the harbour.’
The National Indigenous Art Fair
Date: Saturday 5 July – Sunday 6 July 2025, 10am - 5pm (4pm on Sunday)
Location: Overseas Passenger Terminal, 130 Argyle St, The Rocks, Sydney
Entry: $3 (12 years and over) to support the remote artists attending the event
