How to buy authentic First Nations arts and crafts

If you're considering buying First Nations arts and crafts products, it's important to ensure they're authentic. In doing this, you can help to keep Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists' stories alive, honour the world's oldest living culture and show respect to their communities.

What you can do

There are simple things you can do to check if Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and craft products are

Direct from the artist.
From an Indigenous-owned art centre.
From an Indigenous Art Code dealer member. Browse dealer members on the Indigenous Art Code website.

Still unsure if you're about to make an ethical purchase? Here are some questions you can ask the seller:

Who is the artist?
Where is the artist from?
How does the artist get paid?
Is there a story with it?
If it is a reproduction of an artist's work, ask how royalties or licensing fees are paid to the artist.

Other tips include:

Be genuine in showing your interest and respectful when asking the artist questions.
Don't haggle on price. The price of an artwork has been self-determined by the artist and may reflect the cultural knowledge, level of skill and time involved in its creation and/or represent a proven market value that has already been established for their work.
If the product is mass produced such as fashion, design or homewares, check the label or packaging for details about the community and artist who originally designed the work.
Learn about the business model of any dealer you plan to purchase from and consider how that informs their relationship with the artist.
Check the documentation. Any piece of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art over AUD$250 should come with a Certificate of Authenticity. Certificates of Authenticity verify in writing that the artwork for sale is the original work of the artist named. A photo of the artist holding the art is not a Certificate of Authenticity.

FAQs

Fake art in the context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art are products that are for sale that 'look and feel' like Indigenous art but have no connection to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture or communities.
These commercially produced goods, mostly aimed at the tourist market, are often made from non-traditional materials and feature inauthentic and culturally inappropriate and appropriative designs. They range from bamboo didgeridoos to key rings to paintings.
Just because a product is produced overseas or industrially produced does not necessarily mean it is fake art. Some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists fairly license their original and authentic artworks to be reproduced on products manufactured overseas. Often an artist will enter into a fair and transparent commercial agreement with a business which will have products produced overseas. These arrangements involve agreements between the artist and the business producing the product, in which the artist is fairly remunerated.
A bone China cup featuring Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander art that is manufactured overseas and licensed fairly by the artist is ethical. A bone China cup featuring Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander art that is manufactured overseas and is not licensed by an Aboriginal artist is not.
A tell-tale sign of a fairly licensed product is one that attributes the artwork to the artist and provides details about them. Often the information that comes with the product will also provide details of the royalties the artist receives. We encourage consumers to ask questions around the specifics of these arrangements. Generally, ethical businesses will have no trouble providing further detail.
Be wary of products that do not provide details about the artist and that use generic or elusive terms such as 'Aboriginal style'. Be wary also of products that do not name any artists but claim Aboriginal artists contributed to the product. If in doubt, ask. If the answer is unclear or does not provide clarity on who the artist is, how they contributed to the work and what remuneration they have received, we suggest you walk away from the purchase.
The profile of Indigenous art has grown tremendously in recent decades. This growth has provided earning and income opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities as well as contributed to the preservation and dissemination of their culture. However, the increased awareness, reputation and value of Indigenous art has also grown the market in fake art products and merchandise, the production of which has a significant negative impact in at least four ways: It misappropriates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and undermines the role of communities; It denies Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists economic and other opportunities; It deceives and misleads buyers; and It disadvantages ethical businesses who take a culturally empathetic approach to Indigenous art sales.
Some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists sign their work, many do not. The absence of a signature on an artwork does not necessarily indicate it is not by the artist stated on other documentation.
Within the market for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, certificates of authenticity are the most used method to verify in writing that the artwork for sale is the original work of the artist named. Certificates of authenticity are most often a single-page document that are intended to ensure the integrity of statements about authenticity. Photographs of an artist creating or holding an artwork are not certificates of authenticity.
Indigenous Art Code (IAC) has over 670 Artist Members, however, there are thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists from across the country. The IAC does not suggest you limit your engagement with artists to only those who are Artist Members of Indigenous Art Code. Buying art directly from an artist or an Indigenous-owned art centre is great opportunity to learn more about the artist and their work.

Red flags for inauthentic art products

A lack of artist attribution. An artwork should always be accompanied by clear acknowledgement of the artist/s who created it, whether it is an original work of art or a reproduction. For example, merchandise such as bags, scarves, jewellery, homewares and artefacts that are manufactured overseas and do not attribute an artist are cause for concern.
If the dealer is trying to prove the provenance of artworks using photos of artists holding the work, rather than official certificates of authenticity.
A dealer's willingness to 'do a deal for you'. Ethical galleries usually use a sales model that returns a consistent percentage to the art centre and artist. Offering a significant discount to close the sale can be a red flag- who wears the price reduction, the dealer or the artist?

If a business is not open with you about how they source artwork or their relationship with the artist, and they are unwilling to answer your questions, it may be a signal to walk away.