Artist Libby Harward revealed designer of official CIAF '25 merch

Cairns Indigenous Art Fair’s (CIAF) official 2025 merchandise, available exclusively at next week's Art Fair (11–13 July), will feature a specially commissioned design by acclaimed conceptual artist and Ngugi woman Libby Harward.

Renowned for her politically charged installations, performances, and public artworks, Harward’s practice is grounded in cultural sovereignty, truth-telling, and care for Country.

Harward’s exclusive design for CIAF 2025 is a powerful visual embodiment of this year’s theme, Pay Attention! – a striking call to action that urges audiences to confront uncomfortable truths and centre First Nations voices.

Drawn from her ongoing Already Occupied series, Harward’s featured work, Truth Has No Detour, subverts the visual language of colonial infrastructure, recasting the iconography of road signs and high-vis safety materials as powerful statements of resistance and cultural continuity.

“Art is a powerful way to disrupt the ongoing systems of control that continue to marginalise our voices. We don’t need to soften our message to make it palatable.

“Our stories are layered, raw, beautiful, and deeply political. Our experiences deserve to be seen and heard on our terms,” said Harward.

In Truth Has No Detour, a modified road sign becomes a symbolic navigational tool, redirecting viewers not through diversion but toward a direct and unflinching acknowledgement of the ongoing impacts of colonisation. It is this design—visually striking, politically resonant, and culturally grounded—that adorns CIAF’s 2025 t-shirts, tote bags, and apparel.

The official CIAF t-shirt is more than merchandise—it is a statement piece. Embodying resistance, reclamation, and a refusal to be silenced, Harward’s design reflects the transformative potential of art to communicate across boundaries, both literal and metaphorical.

This is not the first time Harward’s work has made waves at CIAF. Following her critically acclaimed 2024 CATAPULT residency, she returns in 2025 as an independent artist and cultural leader, currently developing a significant new project for 2026 through her arts organisation Munimba-ja.

CIAF Artistic Director Teho Ropeyarn said Harward’s inclusion reflects the spirit and intent of this year’s theme.

“Libby’s practice doesn’t just invite you to look—it demands that you listen. Her design for this year’s official CIAF t-shirt is bold, assertive, and grounded in truth.

“It reflects the power of art to challenge systems, reclaim space, and speak directly to our time,” said Ropeyarn.

The CIAF 2025 merchandise will be available exclusively on-site at the Art Fair and Artisans Showcase (11–13 July) and during Opening Night (10 July) at Tanks Arts Centre.

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