'Deadly' Indigenous remote artists travel to Sydney

More than 100 artists from 30 remote Indigenous art centres have travelled to Sydney for this weekend's National Indigenous Art Fair.

Award-winning artist Kieren Karritpul from the Northern Territory's Daly River is no stranger to the limelight, but is feeling a little nervous about presenting work here for the first time.

"It's going to be a different feeling, and seeing a different audience," he says.

Sitting on a couch that features his screen-printed fabric, he explains that he was inspired by the work of his matriarchs.

"It's about the coolamon bag that my ancestors used to carry food and water in, travelling from Country to Country," he says.

The Ngen'giwumirri artist's detailed work often focuses on stories about fish nets, traps and lily bags.

He says he "didn't choose to be an artist" but rather was "born to be one" because of his great-grandmother, grandmother and mother.

"I'm going to continue doing what they've been doing, and passing it on to my next generation, my nephews and nieces," he says.

The road to Sydney has not been easy. His community, Daly River (Nauiyu), experienced its worst flooding on record in February and March.

The Merrepen arts centre went under, leaving prints destroyed and screen-printing machines unusable.

Three months on, without electricity and water supply, they are still unable to work there.

"All the artists in the community are asking when the art centre's going to open, but we can't do anything," he explains.

The opportunity to share their art this weekend has given the artists a boost.

"All the artists were sad and upset and thought we couldn't do any more," he says.

"But bringing everything here to Sydney will make everybody happy to see their work still travelling."

Miah Madden says many artists travel hours by car to their nearest airport before flying to Sydney. For some, this is their first time in the city.

"The opportunity to speak to these artists is sometimes once in a lifetime. These artists don't come down to the city often, and they have to travel very far to get here, so it's really special to all be in the one room," the Bundjalung curator says.

Ms Madden, known for her acting skills in movies like The Sapphires, is behind the curation of The Living Room and Gallery exhibition at the fair.

"This exhibition really has such a diverse range of mediums, of styles," Ms Madden says, "works that are more traditional leaning, and then some that are more contemporary.

"Some that have just a complete amalgamation [with] individual expression of the artist themselves."

The idea is that people can visualise the creations in a space that feels more like their home.

Meet the artists

It is expected that as many as 12,000 people will visit the fair at the new cutaway space at Sydney's Barangaroo over the weekend.

Selina Kulitja is an artist from the NT desert community of Docker River and is part of the Tjarlirli Art Centre just over the border in Western Australia.

The community leader was taught weaving and painting by her mother, and now she is teaching the younger generation.

"Our old people teach to keep strong, culture, knowledge, looking after for [the] future."

She likes to paint the colours of the desert, the blues and greens. It is these details she wants to share with people who come to visit over the weekend.

"If they come down and see that painting, and we tell a story about it."

First Hand Solutions Aboriginal Corporation started a smaller event in 2017 with just 11 art centres.

Its chief executive, Peter Cooley, a proud Bidjigal man, says since then it has established a standalone fair and its popularity has grown with visitors and artists.

"It's like a big gathering, we all say hello every year," he says.

"It's a pretty special cultural event in that regard, a big gathering, mob coming together and just connecting and sharing and just having a good laugh and enjoying ourselves as well."

Mr Cooley says they do not charge a commission, and ensure the sales go back to the artists and their communities.

"The economic hub here is enormous and the opportunities and potential for these artists and these communities."

There are also workshops, music and dances on show over the weekend.

It coincides with the start of the 50th NAIDOC week, which this year celebrates "50 years of deadly".

For Mr Cooley, it means "50 years of connection, 50 years of pride and sharing culture and coming together".

Ms Madden says she was conscious of letting the quality of the art speak for itself.

"These artists are deadly, where they're from — deadly, everything is just deadly."