DARWIN ABORIGINAL ART FAIR

THE

BRIEF

For the sixth year in a row Bastion Effect was asked to continue to drive awareness of Darwin Aboriginal Arts Fair and position it as the premier indigenous arts fair in Asia-Pacific. Targeting an affluent and cultural audience, we had to secure coverage and create talkability in the right media, at the right time.

THE

RESULT

After some suspect commentary in the past that DAAF was not as high end as competitor arts fairs, one of our key focuses was around telling its story of importance to Indigenous artists and remote communities.

In many remote communities, Art Centres are one of the only external sources of income. Each year DAAF brings these Art Centres together to showcase and sell their amazing works, with all profits going back to the Art Centres, and therefore our Indigenous communities.

DAAF also showcases evolving Indigenous art – its fashion show is becoming as talked about as some of the mainstream eastern seaboard runways and as well attended, showcasing stunning prints and the growth of the Indigenous textile industry.

Bastion built on these opportunities and created even more by also focusing on the ethical buying of Indigenous art to educate the public and put a visit to DAAF on their list. To encourage global awareness and drive attendance we worked with local, national and international media to tell a myriad of stories.

One of these stories included designer, Gorman’s collaboration with Mangkaja Arts Centre to unveil a bright and beautiful clothing range – a first for DAAF and Gorman. This saw the fashion shows at the opening of the fair draw attention and attendance from New York based influencers, Vogue Australia, and The Australian Fashion Council.

The campaign as a whole saw us receive over 192 pieces of coverage, with highlights including; QANTAS magazine, Vogue Australia, NHK TV Japan (including a documentary on the Fair’s curator Franchesca Cubilo), ABC Radio National, Channel 9, Broadsheet Melbourne and Art Monthly Australasia.