Aboriginal Art

Aboriginal art forms are unique as they are misunderstood by the artistic world.

Traditional art of aboriginal people differs greatly from region to region, using different symbols, colours, media and themes. It is a common misconception that the traditional image of the "dot painting" is the universal art form of all aboriginal people and regions, but this is not true.

Another misconception that artworks created using different mediums cannot be considered traditional. The truth is that aboriginal art is an ever evolving expression, influenced by new experiences, new materials yet generally holds a strong connection to traditional themes, colour and composition. My focus for this review is an examination of an area called utopia, a reclaimed land in the southern parts of the northern territory. In particular the regions development and integration of non-traditional medias.

The Utopia land is one that is kept run rather traditionally, with as little western influence as possible. The main languages spoken are Anmatyerre, found in the south and the west of utopia, with the other being Alyawarre, being a more wide spread language.

"an important aspect of aboriginal art is that it is a statement amongst other things, about traditional ownership of country."

"in aboriginal terms images constitute legal proofs of rights that are land based and many artists perceive the purchase of there work by others as a validation of this claim."

References:
Warrior, Fred; knight, fran; anderson, sue; Pring, Adele, Ngadjuri: Aboriginal people of the mid North Region of South Australia, 2005, SASOSE Council Inc. Prospect Hill via Meadows

Brody, Anne Marie, Contemporary aboriginal art, 1990, Heytesbury Holdings Ltd., Perth

Boulter, Michael, The Art of Utopia: a new direction in contemporary Aboriginal Art, 1991, Craftsman House BVI, NSW