Art is a creative expression formed to provoke powerful reactions, discussion, emotion, understanding and/or confusion. It has no limitations in the messages or aesthetic that an artist can bring to the forefront. This creates a perfect space to speak about social or political issues. This is no different in Aboriginal Art. Pre-colonised Aboriginal peoples used art to symbolically tell stories and document scientific knowledge for tens of thousands of years. The artists traditionally used the land itself to show these stories with materials such as tree bark, plants, ochre and rock faces. Then in the 1970’s post contact Australia was introduced to Aboriginal ‘dot painting’ as another form of expression. Although many rural Indigenous artists
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During the 1970’s Aboriginal rights advocate and scholar Charles Dunford Rowley created the Rowley line. Rowley drew a line through a map of Australia to interpret the non-indigenous view of ‘authenticity’ of Indigenous individuals ‘Aboriginality’. Those above the line were seen as ‘real’ Aboriginal people and those below were seen as ‘inauthentic’. This labelling of authenticity is an ongoing response to indigenous Australia and its division is ‘nowhere more clearly demonstrated than in the case of Indigenous art’ (Headway, …show more content…
In which he states that there is no Aboriginal Art Industry. There is, however, an industry that caters for Aboriginal Art (Richard Bell, 2002). The artwork directly responds to the white idea of the Rowley line. It criticises the Aboriginal Art industry because of its appropriation by Non-Aboriginal artists and its domination by white curators, critics, academics, dealers and the ideals of its collectors.
Tony Albert is another artist from the collective. His practice examines the contemporary aspects of colonialism in a manner that prompts the audience to consider, discuss and question aspects of the white consciousness. Albert’s practise is distinctly contemporary, displacing traditional Australian Aboriginal aesthetics with an urban conceptuality.
Alberts work ‘ASH on me’ (2008) consists of old found ‘opportunity shop’ ceramic and metal ashtrays decorated with kitsch images of Aboriginal people and culture. Each ashtray brings a different perspective of how Aboriginal people are depicted, some as caricatures, some realistic. Albert speaks of racism and forces strong messages to the forefront to raise discussion and awareness on various issues. These include issues Aboriginal peoples faced in the past and still today. Subjects such as family, racism and ‘Aboriginality’ as a white construct are his main focus. Which he as an Aboriginal man can speak of in
During the 1970’s Aboriginal rights advocate and scholar Charles Dunford Rowley created the Rowley line. Rowley drew a line through a map of Australia to interpret the non-indigenous view of ‘authenticity’ of Indigenous individuals ‘Aboriginality’. Those above the line were seen as ‘real’ Aboriginal people and those below were seen as ‘inauthentic’. This labelling of authenticity is an ongoing response to indigenous Australia and its division is ‘nowhere more clearly demonstrated than in the case of Indigenous art’ (Headway, …show more content…
In which he states that there is no Aboriginal Art Industry. There is, however, an industry that caters for Aboriginal Art (Richard Bell, 2002). The artwork directly responds to the white idea of the Rowley line. It criticises the Aboriginal Art industry because of its appropriation by Non-Aboriginal artists and its domination by white curators, critics, academics, dealers and the ideals of its collectors.
Tony Albert is another artist from the collective. His practice examines the contemporary aspects of colonialism in a manner that prompts the audience to consider, discuss and question aspects of the white consciousness. Albert’s practise is distinctly contemporary, displacing traditional Australian Aboriginal aesthetics with an urban conceptuality.
Alberts work ‘ASH on me’ (2008) consists of old found ‘opportunity shop’ ceramic and metal ashtrays decorated with kitsch images of Aboriginal people and culture. Each ashtray brings a different perspective of how Aboriginal people are depicted, some as caricatures, some realistic. Albert speaks of racism and forces strong messages to the forefront to raise discussion and awareness on various issues. These include issues Aboriginal peoples faced in the past and still today. Subjects such as family, racism and ‘Aboriginality’ as a white construct are his main focus. Which he as an Aboriginal man can speak of in