National award-winning exhibition comes to CIAF
A screen exhibition of spectacular conceptual artworks telling the story of Bungaree, an Indigenous man
caught between two cultures as the first Aboriginal person in Australia to be granted land in early colonial
Sydney, is a must see feature of the 2015 Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF).
Bungaree’s Farm, an immersive multi-media exhibition, curated by Djon Mundine OAM and featuring the
work of Queensland artists Daniel Boyd and Bjorn Stewart, spans contemporary Indigenous audio, video,
performance and installation art, in the revealing of Bungaree’s legacy.
The project has just scooped the top National Award at this year’s Museums and Galleries National
Awards (MAGNAs) for Mosman Art Gallery, which commissioned Bungaree's Farm to mark the 200th
anniversary of Governor Macquarie's allocation of land at Georges Heights to Bungaree and his clan. The
Gallery was also the winner in the Indigenous Project category.
CIAF Artistic Director Janina Harding said it was exciting to welcome an exhibition that captured the
enigmatic life of a First Australian who left such a significant mark on Indigenous and Australian history.
“The Tanks Art Centre is the perfect venue to remount Bungaree’s Farm, which was originally exhibited in
the Camouflage Fuel Tank at Georges Heights in Sydney.
Its iteration at CIAF will be the first time Bungaree’s Farm has been seen outside New South Wales
“Bungaree’s Farm exposes a slice of the Indigenous experience through spectacular screen concepts by
some of Australia’s most sought after Indigenous artists, including Queensland’s own Daniel Boyd and
Bjorn Stewart,” Ms Harding said.
Curator Djon Mundine OAM says Bungaree’s Farm reflected the cultural and social divide between
colonial settlers and the Indigenous community.
“Visitors will get a glimpse into the life of a man who walked among both the English colonists and his
own people,” Mr Mundine said.
“Bungaree was the first Indigenous person to circumnavigate Australia with Matthew Flinders on the HMS
Investigator, yet his straddling of two cultures meant he was an outsider in both.
“His familiarity with the English and their way of life meant he ceased to fit within his own community but
his Indigenous heritage kept him from becoming a full part of white society - he became stuck between
two cultures, a man lost in space,” he said.
Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) is supported by Arts Queensland, part of the Department of the Premier
and Cabinet, through Backing Indigenous Arts, a Queensland Government program that aims to build a
stronger, more sustainable and ethical Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts industry in the State and
through the Visual Arts and Crafts Strategy, an initiative of the Australian State and Territory
Governments.
For more information and tickets to the event, visit ciaf.com.au
Event details
VENUE:
COST:
OPEN:
Tank 4
Free
9.00AM – 4.30PM Weekdays, 10AM – 2.30PM Weekends
ENDS
For media enquiries, please contact:
Michaela Tam - mtam@agencynorth.com.au / 0431 868 382
Lisa Coutts - lcoutts@agencynorth.com.au / 0468 602 890
Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) is supported by Arts Queensland, through Backing
Indigenous Arts, a program that aims to build a stronger, more sustainable and ethical
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts industry and through the Visual Arts and Crafts
Strategy, an initiative of the Australian State and Territory Governments.