NorthSite at CIAF 2024 Women’s Business – Booth 1, Cairns Convention Centre.
During the annual Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (Thursday 25 July – Sunday 28 July), NorthSite presents an exhibition of new prints and weaving by artist Ivy Minniecon (Kuku Yalanji, Kabi Kabi, Gooreng Gooreng and Vanuatu) developed with Dian Darmansjah at NorthSite Art Studios, alongside paintings by her Aunty and mentor, Karen Gibson. The display at CIAF STALL 1 titled ‘Women’s Business’ reflects the importance of women staying strong and connected to Country, family, and community.
A number of other artworks by female Aboriginal artists from Western Cape York have been selected in response to the concept of women’s business, put forward by Ivy Minniecon and Karen Gibson. Additional independent artists showing paintings and weavings on the NorthSite Booth at CIAF 2024 include Heather Koowootha, Rhonda Woolla, Jean Wallembeng & Daphne De Jersey.
Check out NorthSite at CIAF 2024 Women’s Business exhibition and the full Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, CIAF 2024 Program.
Text by Nicola Hooper
“Women’s Business” is a collaboration between two formidable First Nations artists, Karen Gibson and Ivy Minniecon. Their works combine their artistic voices, steeped in cultural heritage, and incorporate narratives that echo through generations. Presented at CIAF by NorthSite, this exhibition invites viewers on a journey where traditional and personal stories are interwoven with their exceptional skills.
The title “Women’s Business” reflects on ceremonial Indigenous traditional practices. It refers to the sacred knowledge and obligations that First Nations women typically hold within their communities.
Karen Gibson is from the Kuku Yalanji and Kuku Nyungkul tribe. She brings a captivating approach to “Women’s Business”. Her vibrant and evocative acrylic paintings capture the essence of traditional practices and her family’s stories. Her whimsical paintings such as Mukirr Dance, were inspired by memories of her mum and aunties, swimming in the Daintree River, feeling the bottom with their feet, and gathering mussels into their brilliantly coloured dresses. Wait for Tide explores the ebb and flow of tidal changes and the vital role of water in her Community. These narratives resonate with joy and reflect a deep respect for her family and Country.
“I believe God has given me this gift to transform art into a story that only comes from the mind, heart, and life experiences.”
Fellow Kuku Yalanji artist Ivy Minniecon is also a descendant of Kabi Kabi, Gooreng Gooreng and South Sea Islander peoples and anchors her artistic practice in a deep reverence for her ancestral lands. Born in Lowmead, Queensland, and later drawn to her Mother’s Country at Mossman. Ivy’s journey is reflected in her mastery of the Kuku Yalanji weave. Her traditional skirts were created under the guidance of knowledge keeper Romona Baird, using fibres from Country in a plaited weave. Ivy has taken these skirts through a complex process of indexically mono-printing onto paper, in each unique print the skirt dances on the paper. The grass mirrors that of vessels and veins running through the work as if they were touched by her ancestors who would have worn them. These skirts and accompanying prints act as a conduit that speaks to their ceremonial applications and the wearer’s role as a knowledge keeper within their community.
“The heart of my practice looks at holistic ideas of art and culture being intrinsically linked to our identity. Creating the skirt and then experimenting in the print studio with differing techniques has invigorated and extended my studio practice, and it is an honour to have relocated home and to be mentored by a key Yalanji knowledge keeper. Aunty Karen was my inspiration as a young artist. Her extensive studio diversity inspired my practice. I am also grateful to collaborative printmaker Dian Darmansjah, who graciously shared his expertise and knowledge in the print studio.”
Gibson and Minniecon preserve and revitalise cultural practices and stories to ensure they are never lost. “Women’s business” reiterates what women’s business is all about, the sharing of knowledge and skills. Their collaboration is not only a tribute to their heritage but also a powerful testament to the resilience and creativity of Indigenous art and traditional cultural practices today. Visitors are encouraged to reflect on how contemporary First Nations artists navigate the complexities of balancing the preservation of traditional practices. Karen and Ivy demonstrate how art can act as a bridge between the past, present, and future and the sharing of knowledge and collaboration is central to their views on reciprocation. Their works invite us to appreciate the enduring significance of ‘Women’s Business’ in today’s world.
With thanks to Regional Arts Fund through Flying Arts Alliance that supported Ivy to produce new monotypes for CIAF 2024, working at NorthSite studios with collaborative printmaker Dian Darmansjah.
This project was made possible by the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund, provided through Regional Arts Australia, administered in Queensland by Flying Arts Alliance.
