Onespace is thrilled to announce that represented artist, Sam Harrison, is the selected artist for Resonance– A Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) + Blaklash Commissioning Project, supported by Arts Queensland. Harrison will deliver a new large-scale artwork that will be premiered at CIAF in July 2026, held in the Courthouse Gallery.
Based in Brisbane, Sam Harrison has cultural connections to the Kamilaroi and Wiradjuri peoples of Central New South Wales. He completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Painting) at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, in 2018. Sam has worked across multiple creative roles—as an exhibiting artist, curator, artist assistant, and arts educator for young adults with autism. His practice engages deeply with the idea of Australian identity, exploring how art can shape inclusive, healthy, and enriching urban environments.
This significant commission will see Harrison create a major artwork in response to CIAF’s 2026 theme, Reclamation and Regeneration, that “explores remembrance, renewal, and the transformative power of art to reclaim and reimagine cultural narratives.” Harrison’s artwork will extend on his established visual language where he employs diverse mediums such as drawing as well as printmaking to explore cultural identity and memory—fostering continued connections to First Nations knowledge and sovereignty.
Harrison writes that “Resonance feels like an invitation to think deeply about identity, belonging and the stories we carry forward. I’m honoured and excited to develop a work that speaks to place, regeneration and cultural memory on a major public scale.”
CIAF is Australia’s premier First Nations-led art fair and cultural celebration, held annually in Gimuy/Cairns, Queensland. Since 2009, CIAF has grown into a world-class, year-round platform showcasing the richness and diversity of Aboriginal and Zenadth Kes/Torres Strait Islander art and culture, from rainforest to reef, desert to freshwater. More than an art fair, CIAF is a movement: a catalyst for truth-telling, cultural exchange, and contemporary expression across visual art, performance, music, fashion, and storytelling.
In congratulating Harrison, CIAF Artistic Director Teho Ropeyarn states that “Resonance is a project designed to celebrate First Nations creativity on the grand scale it deserves. We are proud to work with Blaklash to support an artist in creating an installation that will engage audiences, create pathways beyond the fair, and resonate as a cultural landmark for CIAF 2026.”
This significant achievement follows Harrison’s success in 2025. He presented two major solo exhibitions — Letters Home at Onespace (Brisbane), Fair Dinkies at Outer Space Gallery (Brisbane), and completed an artist residency with proppaNOW in West End. He was also awarded Highly Commended in the Sunshine Coast National Art Prize (Caloundra, Queensland) for his work Born Here, From There (2025).
Onespace congratulates Harrison and is excited to see the outcome of Resonance and would like to thank the judging panel, the CIAF team, CIAF Artistic Director Teho Ropeyarn, Arts Queensland and Blaklash for their contribution to realising this significant project.
