Beating Heart of First Nations Culture

Overview

There's no escaping it now: winter is well and truly upon us. If you're looking for an escape from the cold, perhaps a trip to the Top End is exactly what you need.

Billing itself as the beating heart of First Nations art, culture and traditions, Darwin is set to come alive this August with seven major events that combine contemporary art and performance with millennia of rich cultural heritage. So, now you have even more of an excuse to book that plane ticket.

The month-long campaign — dubbed the Beating Heart of First Nations Culture — is headlined by the annual Darwin Festival. Kicking things off on August 5 is Buŋgul — a free, openair concert celebrating the music of Gurrumul and the people of North East Arnhem Land, featuring Yolŋu dancers, songmen and the Darwin Symphony Orchestra. The opening night concert will be held at the amphitheatre at George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens for one night only.

The music at the Botanic Gardens continues on August 7 with the National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMA), with the likes of Baker Boy, Miiesha, Electric Fields, King Stingray, Alice Skye, and Dallas Woods and Kee'ahn on the lineup.

Elise Derwin

On the visual arts front, the first weekend of August (August 6–8) will see the return of the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (DAAF), which showcases works from more than 70 Indigenous-owned galleries under one roof, as well as features an exciting entertainment program.

Also part of DAAF, the National Indigenous Fashion Awards (NIFA) returns on August 3. And, if you're a true fashion fiend, you'll also want to check out the Country to Couture runway show, which is taking over Darwin Convention Centre on August 4.

You can expect more First Nations art to be celebrated with the Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA), too. Finalists will be on display at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory from August 2021 to January 2022.

Rounding out the stacked events calendar is Salon21, presented by Salon Art Projects, running across August and September. The highly anticipated event retains a focus on individual artists, with exhibitions that encourage closer viewings of works and more intimate learning experiences about each artist's culture and country.

Time to start planning that trip north? Darwin Festival — and its Beating Heart events — runs from Thursday, August 5–Sunday, August 22. For the full program of events, head to the website.

Top image: Buŋgul. Photo by Jacob Nash