Ethan-James Kotiau

ARTISTS IN ACTION

AFFORDABLE ART FAIR SYDNEY 2023

15 – 18 JUNE 2023 | Opening Night @ The Royal Randwick Racecourse: Thursday 15th June 5pm – 9pm

ARTIST SCHEDULE

Visit Stand B1, as Ethan forges a style unique to his two ancestral tribes. In his work he thoughtfully uses traditional elements in a contemporary way, to provoke a feeling of nostalgia and optimism.

All works exhibited at the fair will be available for sale onsite. New works created over the fair weekend that require finishing touches will receive complimentary shipping or in gallery pickup after the fair. 

ABOUT ETHAN

Ethan-James Kotiau is an urban aboriginal artist who is reconnecting to country and culture through his passion of storytelling with art. Raised in Longreach Queensland. Ethan has ancestry with not just the Gunggari and Iningai tribes of central QLD, but also Cook Island Maori. This rich and diverse cultural mix provides Ethan with a unique connection when painting.

Ethan first picked up a paint brush in 2018 after being inspired by the late Ningura Napurrula Gibson when he visited a desert art exhibition in Brisbane. Feeling displaced both culturally and physically as a young homeless indigenous man living out of his van, this exhibition sparked a light in Ethan, and so began his journey to reconnect with culture. The work impressed on Ethan how important art can be in communicating culture to others. “I learnt from the exhibition that painting can be a powerful platform to communicate and preserve culture. However, the exhibition struck a personal chord with me. I began to reflect on my kind of dormant relationship with culture. You could say it was like a “call” to reconnect and explore my indigenous roots more fully”.