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97-563: The Aboriginal Memorial is a work of contemporary Indigenous Australian art from the late 1980s, and comprises 200 decorated hollow log coffins (also known as memorial poles, dupun, ḻarrakitj and other terms). It was conceived by Djon (John) Mundine in 1987–88 and realised by 43 artists from Ramingining and neighbouring communities of Central Arnhem Land , in the Northern Territory . Artists who participated in its creation included David Malangi and George Milpurrurru . The work

194-578: A "die on the vine" plan that will "slowly but surely" kill indigenous culture. Born in the 1930s, Dr. Gawirrin Gumana AO was a leader of the Dhalwangu clan , renowned for his artwork and knowledge of traditional culture and law. In May 2009, he had the following to say about the significance of the homelands to his people: Despite facing government concerns and policy confusion, a number of people have developed commercial enterprises that have centred on using

291-420: A decade before commencing the painting career that would make her famous, Emily Kngwarreye was creating batik designs that revealed her "prodigious original talent" and the modernity of her artistic vision. A wide range of textile art techniques, including dyeing and weaving, is particularly associated with Pukatja, South Australia (formerly known as Ernabella), but in the mid-2000s the community also developed

388-542: A medium used by many 'urban' artists, such as Gordon Bennett , Fiona Foley , Trevor Nickolls , Lin Onus , Judy Watson , and Harry Wedge . The public recognition and exhibition of contemporary Indigenous art was initially very limited: for example, it was only a minor part of the collection of the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) when its building was opened in 1982. Early exhibitions of major works were held as part of

485-611: A number of individual artists and artistic collaborations were shown in the prestigious Nicholas Hall at the Hermitage Museum in Russia. In 2003, eight Indigenous artists – Paddy Bedford, John Mawurndjul, Ningura Napurrula , Lena Nyadbi , Michael Riley , Judy Watson, Tommy Watson and Gulumbu Yunupingu – collaborated on a commission to provide works that decorate one of the Musée du quai Branly 's four buildings completed in 2006. In 2005,

582-594: A painting of the wharf at Darwin, including building and boats, and Europeans with hats and pipes, some apparently without hands (which they have in their trouser pockets). Near the East Alligator River crossing, a figure was painted of a man carrying a gun and wearing his hair in long pigtails down his back, characteristic of the Chinese labourers brought to Darwin in the late 19th century. One Yolngu prehistoric stone arrangement at Maccasans Beach near Yirrkala shows

679-401: A range of matters. Indigenous art frequently reflects the spiritual traditions, cultural practices and socio-political circumstances of Indigenous people, and these have varied across the country. The works of art accordingly differ greatly from place to place. Major reference works on Australian Indigenous art often discuss works by geographical region. The usual groupings are of art from

776-711: A range of phenomena such as sparks, clouds or rain. In the late 1980s and early 1990s the work of Emily Kngwarreye, from the Utopia community north east of Alice Springs , became very popular. Her styles, which changed every year, have been seen as a mixture of traditional Aboriginal and contemporary Australian. Her rise in popularity has prefigured that of many Indigenous artists from central, northern and western Australia, such as her niece Kathleen Petyarre , Angelina Pwerle , Minnie Pwerle , Dorothy Napangardi , Lena Pwerle, and dozens of others, all of whose works have become highly sought-after. There are some figurative approaches in

873-717: A reputation for fine sgraffito ceramics. Hermannsburg, originally home to Albert Namatjira and the Arrente Watercolourists, is now renowned for its pottery. Amongst urban Indigenous artists, more diverse techniques are in use such as silkscreen printing, poster making, photography, television and film. One of the most important contemporary Indigenous artists of his generation, Michael Riley worked in film, video, still photography and digital media. Likewise, Bronwyn Bancroft has worked in fabric, textiles, "jewellery design, painting, collage, illustration, sculpture and interior decoration". Nevertheless, painting remains

970-658: A vigorous traditional culture, and whose name for this area is Miwatj. In West Arnhem Land, large groups include the Bininj people and the Maung people of the Goulburn Islands . In 2018, Kathy Guthadjaka AM (also known as Gotha) was awarded 'NT Senior Australian of the Year.' Guthadjaka has conducted academic research into Aboriginal languages, knowledge, and culture. In 2013–14, the entire region contributed around A$ 1.3 billion or 7% to

1067-551: Is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around 500 km (310 mi) from the territorial capital, Darwin . In 1623, Dutch East India Company captain Willem Joosten van Colster (or Coolsteerdt) sailed into the Gulf of Carpentaria and Cape Arnhem is named after his ship, the Arnhem , which itself

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1164-471: Is also notable for Aboriginal rock art , some examples of which can be found at Ubirr Rock , Injalak Hill , and in the Canon Hill area. Some of these record the early years of European explorers and settlers, sometimes in such detail that Martini–Henry rifles can be identified. They also depict axes, and detailed paintings of aircraft and ships. One remote shelter, several hundred kilometres from Darwin, has

1261-461: Is highly prized in Chinese cuisine, for folk medicine, and as an aphrodisiac . This Makassan contact with Australia is the first recorded example of interaction between the inhabitants of the Australian continent and their Asian neighbours. This contact had a major effect on local Aboriginal Australians . The Makassans exchanged goods such as cloth , tobacco , knives , rice , and alcohol for

1358-502: Is one of the oldest living cultures on Earth, at around 60,000 years old. DNA studies have confirmed that " Aboriginal Australians are one of the oldest living populations in the world, certainly the oldest outside of Africa"; their descendants left the African continent 75,000 years ago. They may have the oldest continuous culture on earth. Oral histories comprising complex narratives have been passed down through hundreds of generations, and

1455-525: Is quite separate and distinct from that of central Australia. In north Queensland and the Torres Strait many communities continue to practice cultural artistic traditions along with voicing strong political and social messages in their work. In Indigenous communities across northern Australia most artists have no formal training, their work being based instead on traditional knowledge and skills. In southeast Australia other Indigenous artists, often living in

1552-530: Is renowned for its artists, who are always well-represented in any exhibitions and awards for Indigenous Australian artists. In 2017, APY artists earned 25 nominations in the prestigious Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards ; two were named as finalists in the Archibald Prize ; 14 APY artists' work made the shortlist for the 2019 A$ 50,000 Wynne Prize for landscape painting ; and in 2019, APY artists also won or were shortlisted for

1649-632: The Aboriginal Memorial was unveiled at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra made from 200 hollow log coffins , which are similar to the type used for mortuary ceremonies in Arnhem Land. It was made for the bicentenary of Australia's colonisation , and is in remembrance of Aboriginal people who had died protecting their land during conflict with settlers. It was created by 43 artists from Ramingining and communities nearby. In that same year,

1746-630: The Aboriginal Memorial always intended that it be publicly displayed, and in 1987 the work was offered to the National Gallery of Australia , which helped fund its completion. After being first exhibited at the Sydney Biennale in 1988, it was moved to the National Gallery, its present home. In 2000, the Memorial formed the centrepiece of a major exhibition of Australian Indigenous art held in

1843-678: The Aboriginal rock art , dated by modern techniques, shows continuity of their culture. Arnhem Land is the location of the oldest-known (as of 2010 ) stone axe of its kind, which scholars believe to be 35,500 years old. Rock art depicting what may be acts of violence between hunter-gatherers in Arnhem land has been tentatively dated to 10,000 years ago. At least since the 18th century (and probably earlier) Muslim traders from Makassar of Sulawesi visited Arnhem Land each year to trade, harvest, and process sea cucumbers or trepang . This marine animal

1940-758: The Art Gallery of New South Wales , the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), the Art Gallery of Western Australia ; and the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory , have gallery space permanently dedicated to the exhibition of contemporary Indigenous art. The NGV's collection includes the country's main collection of Indigenous batik. South Australia has many galleries showcasing Aboriginal art. The Art Gallery of South Australia has an extensive collection, as well as being host to Tarnanthi , which includes an exhibition, art fair, and other activities across

2037-678: The Australian National University in what is now the School of Art and Design. Other artists such as Laurie Nona, Brian Robinson, David Bosun, Glen Mackie, Joemen Nona, Daniel O'Shane, and Tommy Pau are known for their printmaking work. An exhibition of Alick Tipoti 's work, titled Zugubal , was mounted at the Cairns Regional Gallery in July 2015. Anthropologist Nicholas Thomas observed that contemporary Indigenous art practice

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2134-631: The Australian Research Council and Land & Water Australia supported an artistic and archaeological collaboration through the project Strata: Deserts Past, Present and Future , which involved Indigenous artists Daisy Jugadai Napaltjarri and Molly Jugadai Napaltjarri . In London , Tate Modern 's exhibition, A Year in Art: Australia 1992 , which opened in June 2021, was extended until September 2022 owing to its popularity. In mid-2022,

2231-513: The Australian War Memorial , and to move the Aboriginal Memorial to that location as part of that commemoration. Log coffins are made from trees that have been naturally hollowed out by termites. They are cut, cleaned and then painted with natural pigments during a ceremonial camp. The Aboriginal Memorial decorations reflect traditional clan designs and significant dreamings for which the artists had responsibility. The creators of

2328-722: The Central Australian desert; the Kimberley in Western Australia; the northern regions of the Northern Territory , particularly Arnhem Land , often referred to as the Top End ; and northern Queensland , including the Torres Strait Islands . Urban art is also generally treated as a distinct style of Indigenous art, though it is not clearly geographically defined. Indigenous artists from remote central Australia, particularly

2425-904: The Desert Mob exhibition and event at the Araluen Arts Centre in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) each year. The Association of Northern, Kimberley and Arnhem Aboriginal Artists (ANKAAA; now Arnhem, Northern and Kimberley Artists , or ANKA ), the peak body for northern Australian communities, had 43 member centres in 2010. The centres represent large numbers of artists – ANKAAA estimated that in 2010 its member organisations included up to 5000. The Aboriginal Art Association of Australia (AAAA), incorporated in January 1999, advocates for all industry participants, including artists, galleries, and dealers . It lobbies and informs governments on behalf of its members on

2522-507: The Maung speaking Goulburn Islands (Mardbalk Arts & Crafts). Arnhem Land is also known for embracing the homeland movement, sometimes referred to as the outstation movement . For many decades prior to 1970, the East Arnhem Land Yolngu people lived on mission stations , such as Yirrkala. From April 1972, Yolngu families began moving away, back to their traditional clan lands. This was instigated by Yolngu people, before there

2619-652: The Murray River near Victoria 's Barmah forest. Some, like Onus, were self-taught while others, such as artist Danie Mellor or artist and curator Brenda Croft , completed university studies in fine arts. In the 1990s a group of younger Torres Strait Island artists, including the award-winning Dennis Nona (b. 1973), started translating traditional skills into the more portable forms of printmaking , linocut , and etching , as well as larger scale bronze sculptures . Other outstanding artists include Billy Missi (1970–2012), known for his decorated black and white linocuts of

2716-447: The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory in 1984, the award includes a major winner and several category awards, including: one for bark painting , one for works on paper, one for three-dimensional works and, introduced for the first time in 2010, one for new media. Winners of the major prize have included Makinti Napanangka in 2008, and Danie Mellor in 2009. In 2008, the Art Gallery of Western Australia established

2813-491: The National Gallery Singapore opened a major exhibition, Ever Present: First Peoples Art of Australia , which is the most extensive show of its type to tour Asia. Contemporary Indigenous art works are collected by all of Australia's major public galleries. The National Gallery of Australia has a significant collection, and a new wing was opened in 2010 for its permanent exhibition. Some state galleries, such as

2910-734: The National Gallery of Australia in 1994, Emily Kngwarreye , at the Queensland Art Gallery in 1998, John Mawurndjul at the Tinguely Museum in Basel , Switzerland in 2005, and Paddy Bedford at several galleries including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney in 2006–07. Internationally, Indigenous artists have represented Australia in the Venice Biennale , including Rover Thomas and Trevor Nickolls in 1990, and Emily Kngwarreye, Judy Watson and Yvonne Koolmatrie in 1997. In 2000,

3007-601: The National Gallery of Australia , which in 2010 opened a new wing dedicated to its Indigenous collection. The figurative " dot painting " produced by Western Desert artists is among the most well-known styles of contemporary Aboriginal art. Aboriginal Australian art can claim to be "the world's longest continuing art tradition". Prior to European settlement of Australia, Indigenous people used many art forms, including sculpture , wood carving , rock carving , body painting , bark painting , and weaving . Many of these continue to be used both for traditional purposes and in

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3104-535: The Pitjantjatjara people, pokerwork carving is significant. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander printmaking was in 2011 described by the National Gallery's senior curator of prints and drawings as "the most significant development in recent printmaking history". Textile production including batik has been important in the northwestern desert regions of South Australia , in the Northern Territory's Utopia community, and in other areas of central Australia. For

3201-746: The Ramsay Art Prize , the Sir John Sulman Prize , the John Fries Award , and others. Nici Cumpston , artistic director of Tarnanthi Festival at Art Gallery of South Australia , regularly visits the APY art centres. The APY Art Centre Collective is as of 2020 a group of ten Indigenous-owned and -governed enterprises which supports artists from across the Lands and helps to market their work. The collective supports collaborative regional projects, such as

3298-528: The Sydney Biennales of 1979 and 1982, while a large-scale sand painting was a feature of the 1981 Sydney Festival . Early private gallery showings of contemporary Indigenous art included a solo exhibition of bark paintings by Johnny Bulunbulun at Hogarth Gallery in Sydney in 1981, and an exhibition of western desert artists at Gallery A in Sydney, which formed part of the 1982 Sydney Festival . In 1988

3395-497: The Venice Biennale in 1990 and 1997. In 2007, a painting by Emily Kngwarreye , Earth's Creation , was the first Indigenous Australian art work to sell for more than A$ 1 million. Leading Indigenous artists have had solo exhibitions at Australian and international galleries, while their work has been included in major collaborations such as the design of the Musée du quai Branly . Works by contemporary Indigenous artists are held by all of Australia's major public galleries, including

3492-548: The Western Australian Indigenous Art Awards , which include the country's most valuable Indigenous art cash prize of A$ 50,000, as well as a A$ 10,000 prize for the top Western Australian artist, and a A$ 5000 People's Choice Award, all selected from the field of finalists, which includes 15 individuals and one collaborative group. The 2009 winner of the main prize was Ricardo Idagi, while the People's Choice award

3589-607: The central and western desert area, frequently paint particular ' dreamings ', or stories, for which they have personal responsibility or rights. Best known amongst these are the works of the Papunya Tula painters and of Utopia artist Emily Kngwarreye . The patterns portrayed by central Australian artists, such as those from Papunya, originated as translations of traditional motifs marked out in sand, boards or incised into rock. The symbols used in designs may represent place, movement, or people and animals, while dot fields may indicate

3686-455: The sea cucumbers were traded by the Makassans to Southern China . In 2014, an 18th-century Chinese coin was found in the remote area of Wessel Islands off the coast on a beach on Elcho Island during a historical expedition. The coin was found near previously known Makassan trepanger fishing sites where several other Dutch coins have been discovered nearby, but never a Chinese coin. The coin

3783-430: The 1930s, artists Rex Battarbee and John Gardner introduced watercolour painting to Albert Namatjira , an Indigenous man at Hermannsberg Mission , south-west of Alice Springs. His landscape paintings, first created in 1936 and exhibited in Australian cities in 1938, were immediately successful, and he became the first Indigenous Australian watercolourist as well as the first to successfully exhibit and sell his works to

3880-491: The 1970s, the painting movement developed rapidly in the 1980s, spreading to Yuendumu , Lajamanu , Utopia and Haasts Bluff in the Northern Territory, and Balgo, Western Australia . By the 1990s artistic activity had spread to many communities throughout northern Australia, including those established as part of the Outstation movement , such as Kintore, Northern Territory and Kiwirrkurra Community, Western Australia . As

3977-723: The 800 people in the Laynhapuy homelands will be forced to move to towns such as Yirrkala on the Gove Peninsula, creating new law and order problems, while those who stay will be severely disadvantaged." In response to changes made by the Northern Territory government surrounding reduced support for the homelands in 2009, the Indigenous leader Patrick Dodson criticised the Northern Territory Government's controversial new policy on remote Aboriginal communities, describing it as

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4074-589: The APY centres, Maruku Arts from Uluru , Tjanpi Desert Weavers based in Alice Springs , and Ara Iritja Aboriginal Corporation bring the number up to ten. The Collective has galleries in Darlinghurst, Sydney and, since May 2019, a gallery and studio space on Light Square ( Wauwi ) in Adelaide . In Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, men have painted their traditional clan designs. The iconography however

4171-584: The Blake Prize with her work Stations of the Cross ; 2003 Clemenger Award winner John Mawurndjul , and 2006 Clemenger winner Judy Watson. The Wynne Prize has been won by contemporary Indigenous artists on several occasions, including in 1999 by Gloria Petyarre with Leaves ; in 2004 by George Tjungurrayi; and in 2008 by Joanne Currie Nalingu , with her painting The river is calm . As well as winning major prizes, Indigenous artists have been well represented among

4268-626: The Hermitage. Described as an icon of the National Gallery's collection, and "one of the outstanding works of art to have been created in Australia", the memorial is laid out with a central pathway between the log-coffins representing the passage of the Glyde River through central Arnhem Land . In the late 2000s, the work was included in the list of the 20 most valuable artworks in the Gallery's collection, and

4365-453: The Northern Territory . In 2007, the NGA held the first National Indigenous Art Triennial (NIAT), which included works by thirty contemporary Indigenous artists such as Richard Bell , Danie Mellor , Doreen Reid Nakamarra and Shane Pickett . Despite its name, the second triennial was not held until 2012, and was titled unDisclosed . The third Triennial, Defying Empire , was held in 2017, with

4462-593: The Northern Territory's gross state product, mainly through bauxite mining . In 2019, it was announced that NASA had chosen Arnhem Land as the location for a space launch facility , the Arnhem Space Centre . On 27 June 2022, NASA launched the first rocket there, the first rocket launch from a commercial spaceport outside the US, and two further launches followed within weeks. The Yolŋu culture in East Arnhem Land

4559-400: The Northern Territory's gross state product, mainly through bauxite mining. In 2019, it was announced that NASA had chosen Arnhem Land as the location for a space launch facility. The Arnhem Space Centre was built near Nhulunbuy, employing mostly local labour, and on 27 June 2022, NASA launched the first rocket there, which was the first rocket launch from a commercial spaceport outside

4656-464: The US. Two further launches followed, the third on 11 July. Other space companies are interested in using the rocket launch pad, and NASA confirmed that it will use the facility again in the future. The 2006 film Ten Canoes captures life in Arnhem Land through a story tapping into the Aboriginal mythic past; it was co-directed by one of the indigenous cast members. The film and the documentary about

4753-445: The art of those of central Australia, such as among some of the painters from Balgo, Western Australia . Some central Australian artists whose people were displaced from their lands in the mid-twentieth century by nuclear weapon tests have painted works that use traditional painting techniques but also portray the effects of the blasts on their country. Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara , in remote north-western South Australia ,

4850-486: The cities, have trained in art schools and universities. These artists are frequently referred to as "urban" Indigenous artists, although the term is sometimes controversial, and does not accurately describe the origins of some of these individuals, such as Bronwyn Bancroft who grew up in the town of Tenterfield, New South Wales , Michael Riley who came from rural New South Wales near Dubbo and Moree , or Lin Onus who spent time on his father's traditional country on

4947-579: The coasts of northern Australia. In Arnhem Land, the word is still widely used today to refer to white Australians. The Dutch started settling in Sulawesi Island in the early 17th century. Archaeological remains of Makassar contact, including trepang processing plants (drying, smoking) from the 18th and 19th centuries, are still found at Australian locations such as Port Essington and Groote Eylandt . The Makassans also planted tamarind trees (native to Madagascar and East Africa ). After processing,

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5044-773: The country's largest collection of works by Albert Namatjira. Galleries outside Australia acquiring contemporary Indigenous art include the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London . The Rebecca Hossack gallery in London has been credited with "almost single-handedly" introducing Australian Indigenous art to Britain and Europe since its opening in 1988. The Musée du Quai Branly in Paris , France, which opened in 2006, has an "Oceania" collection. It also commissioned paintings on

5141-426: The creation and marketing of works. Although painting took hold quickly at Papunya, it remained a "small-scale regional phenomenon" throughout the 1970s, and for a decade none of the state galleries or the national gallery collected the works, with the notable exception of the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory , that acquired 220 of the early Papunya boards. After being largely confined to Papunya in

5238-417: The creation of art works for exhibition and sale. Some other techniques have declined or disappeared since European settlement, including body decoration by scarring and the making of possum-skin cloaks . However, Indigenous Australians also adopted and expanded the use of new techniques including painting on paper and canvas. Early examples include the late nineteenth century drawings by William Barak . In

5335-478: The dry season (April to September) to daily highs of 33 °C (91 °F) in the wet season (October to March). In 1931, an area of 96,000 km (37,000 sq mi) was proclaimed as an Aboriginal reserve , named Arnhem Land Aboriginal Reserve. As of 2007 the Land Trust held about 100,000 km (39,000 sq mi) as Aboriginal freehold land (with the exception of mining leases); it remains one of

5432-470: The early 1970s as a mining town for bauxite . Other major population centres are Yirrkala (just outside Nhulunbuy), Gunbalanya (formerly Oenpelli), Ramingining , and Maningrida . A substantial proportion of the population, which is mostly Aboriginal , lives on small outstations or homelands. This outstation movement started in the early 1980s. Many Aboriginal groups moved to usually very small settlements on their traditional lands , often to escape

5529-439: The early 21st century, a focus governments about the "viability" of the homelands has caused tensions and uncertainty within the Arnhem Land community. In September 2008, then Darwin correspondent for The Age , Lindsay Murdoch, wrote: "Elders tell of their fears that Yolngu culture and society will not survive if clans cannot continue to live on and access their land through homelands. They warn that if services are cut, many of

5626-550: The event, and referred to the occasion as Invasion Day rather than Australia Day , a group of Aboriginal artists from Ramingining in the Northern Territory decided to create an artwork to mark the anniversary. The project was initiated by Djon Mundine , an Indigenous art advisor and curator, who was working at Bula'Bula Arts at Ramingining prior to the Bicentenary. A small group of artists including David Malangi , Paddy Dhathangu , George Milpurrurru , and Jimmy Wululu decided

5723-439: The far north-east, on the Gove Peninsula. Gove is the site of large-scale bauxite mining with an associated alumina refinery. Its administrative centre is the town of Nhulunbuy, the fourth-largest population centre in the Northern Territory. The climate of Arnhem Land is tropical monsoon with a wet and dry season. The temperature has little seasonal variation; however, it can range from overnight lows of 15 °C (59 °F) in

5820-531: The finalists in these competitions. The Blake Prize has included numerous Indigenous finalists, such as Bronwyn Bancroft (2008), Angelina Ngal and Irene (Mbitjana) Entata (2009), Genevieve Kemarr Loy, Cowboy Loy Pwerl, Dinni Kunoth Kemarre, Elizabeth Kunoth Kngwarray (2010), and Linda Syddick Napaltjarri (on three separate occasions). Australia's major Indigenous art prize is the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award . Established by

5917-465: The following: The Museum of Contemporary Aboriginal Art  [ nl ] , in Utrecht , Netherlands, was dedicated to contemporary Aboriginal Australian art, but closed in 2017. Contemporary Indigenous art works have won a number of Australia's principal national art prizes, including the Wynne Prize , the Clemenger Contemporary Art Award and the Blake Prize for Religious Art . Indigenous awardees have included Shirley Purdie , 2007 winner of

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6014-427: The form of the project, but ultimately 43 artists from the region contributed pieces to the Memorial . The work takes the form of 200 hollow log coffins , known as dupun : the number was chosen to mark the years of European settlement. Such coffins are a form of funerary art and are used throughout the Arnhem Land region for reburial ceremonies. The items displayed in Aboriginal Memorial , however, were created for

6111-522: The history and culture of Yolngu people, was filmed in Arnhem land. The Aboriginal community of Yirrkala , just outside Nhulunbuy, is internationally known for bark paintings , promoting the rights of Indigenous Australians , and as the origin of the yidaki , or didgeridoo . The community of Gunbalanya (previously known as Oenpelli ) in Western Arnhem Land is also notable for bark painting. The indigenous inhabitants also create temporary sand sculptures as part of their sacred rituals. Arnhem Land

6208-422: The largest parcels of Aboriginal-owned land in Australia and is perhaps best known for its isolation, the art of its people, and the strong continuing traditions of its Aboriginal inhabitants. Arnhem Land is composed of many different Aboriginal countries and language groups . North-east Arnhem Land is home to the Yolngu people, one of the largest Indigenous groups in Australia, who have succeeded in maintaining

6305-767: The layout of the Makassan praus used for trepang (sea cucumber) fishing in the area. This was a legacy of Yolngu trade links with the people on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi . The trading relationship antedated European settlement by some 200 years. Aboriginal artists in Arnhem Land are primarily represented by Aboriginal Art Centres , nonprofit, community-owned organisations. In East Arnhem Land, primarily Yolngu Matha -speaking artists are promoted by Buku-Larrnggay Mulka in Yirrkala, Bula'bula Arts in Ramingining , Elcho Island Arts and Crafts on Elcho Island , Gapuwiyak Culture and Arts in Gapuwiyak and Milingimbi Art and Culture on Milingimbi Island . In Central Arnhem Land, Maningrida Arts & Culture in Maningrida promotes

6402-503: The local vegetation and eco-systems, and Alick Tipoti (b.1975). These and other Torres Strait artists have greatly expanded the forms of Indigenous art within Australia, bringing superb Melanesian carving skills as well as new stories and subject matter. The College of Technical and Further Education on Thursday Island was a starting point for young Islanders to pursue studies in art. Many went on to further art studies, especially in printmaking, initially in Cairns , Queensland and later at

6499-404: The making of the film, The Balanda and the Bark Canoes , give a remarkable testimony to the indigenous struggle to keep their culture alive – or rather revive it in the wake of considerable relative modernisation and influence of white ( balanda ) cultural imposition. High Ground (2020 film) , a 2020 feature film directed by Stephen Maxwell Johnson , based on historical fact and reflecting

6596-517: The movement evolved, not all artists were satisfied with its trajectory. What began as a contemporary expression of ritual knowledge and identity was increasingly becoming commodified, as the economic success of painting created its own pressures within communities. Some artists were critical of the art centre workers, and moved away from painting, returning their attention to ritual. Other artists were producing works less connected to social networks that had been traditionally responsible for designs. While

6693-459: The movement was evolving, however, its growth did not slow: at least another 10 painting communities developed in central Australia between the late 1990s and 2006. Indigenous art cooperatives have been central to the emergence of contemporary Indigenous art. Whereas many western artists pursue formal training and work as individuals, most contemporary Indigenous art is created in community groups and art centres. The number of people involved, and

6790-403: The new Parliament House in Canberra opened with a forecourt featuring a design by Michael Nelson Jagamarra , laid as a mosaic . There are now a number of regular exhibitions devoted to contemporary Indigenous art. Since 1984, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award exhibition has been held in the Northern Territory , under the auspices of the Museum and Art Gallery of

6887-440: The non-Indigenous community. Namatjira's style of work was adopted by other Indigenous artists in the region beginning with his close male relatives, and they became known as the Hermannsburg School or as the Arrernte Watercolourists. Namatjira died in 1959, and by then a second initiative had also begun. At Ernabella, now Pukatja, South Australia , the use of bright acrylic paints to produce designs for posters and postcards

6984-493: The prestigious Nicholas Hall at the Hermitage Museum in Russia. The exhibition received a positive reception from Russian critics, one of whom wrote: This is an exhibition of contemporary art, not in the sense that it was done recently, but in that it is cased in the mentality, technology and philosophy of radical art of the most recent times. No one, other than the Aborigines of Australia, has succeeded in exhibiting such art at

7081-498: The problems of the larger towns. These population groups have very little Western cultural influence, and Arnhem Land is arguably one of the last areas in Australia that could be seen as a completely separate country. Many of the region's leaders have called and continue to call for a treaty that would allow the Yolŋu to operate under their own traditional laws . In 2013–14, the entire region contributed around A$ 1.3 billion or 7 percent to

7178-545: The property rights of much of Arnhem Land were held by the Eastern and African Cold Storage Supply Company . This Anglo-Australian consortium leased the region under the name of Arafura cattle station and attempted to construct a massive cattle raising and meat production industry. The company employed roving gangs of armed men to shoot the resident Aboriginal population. In 1971, the Gove land rights case ( Milirrpum v Nabalco Pty Ltd )

7275-527: The property, Jim Randell, bolted a swivel cannon to the verandah of the homestead to keep the Indigenous people away, while Jack Watson , the last manager of the property, reportedly "wiped out a lot" of "the blacks" living on the coast at Blue Mud Bay . During the period of Watson's management, another large massacre is recorded to have happened at Mirki on the north coast of Florida Station. The Yolngu people today remember this massacre where many people including children were shot dead. From 1903 to 1908,

7372-529: The purpose of the artwork and have not at any stage contained human remains, nor been used in reburial ceremonies. The work was intended "to commemorate the thousands of Aboriginal people who had perished in the course of European settlement, and for whom it has not been possible to conduct appropriate mortuary rites ". The intention behind the work drew attention in 2005 when Melbourne newspaper The Age ran an editorial asking whether it might be appropriate to commemorate Aboriginal resistance to white settlement at

7469-471: The renowned Kulata Tjuta project, and the APY Photography initiative. Seven art centres across the Lands support the work of more than 500 Anangu artists, from the oldest one, Ernabella Arts , to Iwantja Arts at Indulkana, whose residents include award-winning Vincent Namatjira. Other APY centres are Tjala Arts (at Amata ), Kaltjiti Arts, Mimili Maku Arts and Tjungu Palya ( Nyapari ). As well as

7566-415: The right to trepang coastal waters and employ local labour. Makassar pidgin became a lingua franca along the north coast among several indigenous Australian groups who were brought into greater contact with each other by the seafaring Makassan culture. These traders from the southwest corner of Sulawesi also introduced the word balanda for white people, long before western explorers set foot on

7663-646: The roof and ceilings of its building on the rue de l'Université , housing the museum's workshops and library, by four female and four male contemporary Aboriginal artists: Lena Nyadbi , Judy Watson , Gulumbu Yunupingu , Ningura Napurrula ; John Mawurndjul , Paddy Nyunkuny Bedford , Michael Riley , and Yannima Tommy Watson . New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art acquires Indigenous art. Other permanent displays of Indigenous art outside Australia are found at Seattle Art Museum and Glasgow's Gallery of Modern Art . Museums dedicated solely to Indigenous art (contemporary and traditional) outside of Australia include

7760-444: The school and then with the men of the community. The men began with painting a mural on the school walls, and moved on to painting on boards and canvas. At the same time, Kaapa Tjampitjinpa , a member of the community who worked with Bardon, won a regional art award at Alice Springs with his painting Gulgardi . Soon over 20 men at Papunya were painting, and they established their own company, Papunya Tula Artists Limited , to support

7857-480: The small sizes of the places in which they work, mean that sometimes a quarter to a half of community members are artists, with critic Sasha Grishin concluding in 2007 that the communities include "the highest per capita concentrations of artists anywhere in the world". In 2010, the peak body representing Central Desert Australian Indigenous art centres, Desart (incorporated in 1993 ), had 44 member centres, As of January 2024 it has 30 member centres. It mounts

7954-478: The state every two years, led by curator Nici Cumpston . Flinders University Museum of Art has been collecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art since the early 1980s. Others showcasing Indigenous art include JamFactory craft and design centre; Samstag Museum of Art ; Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute ; Nexus Arts ; and the smaller but notable Hugo Michell Gallery. The Araluen Centre for Arts & Entertainment in Alice Springs hosts

8051-481: The title referencing the 50th anniversary of the 1967 referendum . The Araluen Centre for Arts and Entertainment , a public art gallery in Alice Springs, hosts the annual Desert Mob exhibition, representing current painting activities across Australia's Aboriginal art centres. Several individual artists have been the subject of retrospective exhibitions at public galleries. These have included Rover Thomas at

8148-462: The work in the "heart of the National Gallery, helping make the most important work in the national collection central to all visitors’ art experience". Contemporary Indigenous Australian art Contemporary Indigenous artists have won many of Australia's most prominent art prizes. The Wynne Prize has been won by Indigenous artists on at least three occasions, the Blake Prize for Religious Art

8245-630: The work of a diverse range of Kuninjku , Burarra , and Gurrgoni artists, amongst others. In West Arnhem Land, Injalak Arts in Gunbalanya represents mainly Kunwinjku artists. Ngukurr Arts is located on the Roper River in Southern Arnhem Land. Art is also produced on the many islands of Arnhem Land, and there are art centres on the Anindilyakwa speaking Groote Eylandt (Anindilyakwa Art) and

8342-467: The work was temporarily withdrawn from display to undergo significant conservation work. Completed in October 2009, the restoration was followed by the work's relocation in 2010 to the entrance area of the new gallery building, where it was intended to be the first work seen by visitors to the gallery. Aboriginal Memorial was relocated to level 1 of the NGA in June 2022. The gallery stated that this move placed

8439-715: Was created to coincide with the Australian Bicentenary and commemorates those Indigenous Australians who died as a result of European settlement. It was acquired by the National Gallery of Australia , where it is on permanent display. Its first exhibition was at the Sydney Biennale in 1988, and it was the centrepiece of an exhibition of Indigenous art at Russia's Hermitage Museum in 2000. In 1988, Australia marked 200 years since its first official white settlement, established by Captain Arthur Phillip on Sydney Harbour in 1788. While some Indigenous Australians protested

8536-429: Was established to assist the homelands. Homelands are tiny communities where members of related clan groups live on their traditional land, living according to Yolngu rom (law) . There are benefits to the people to be living in these homelands, including: Homelands also reduce pressure on other Indigenous communities, which are already suffering from problems in the housing, health and education services areas. In

8633-480: Was government support for the outstation movement. The people cleared land for airstrips and built their own houses from local timber, with the help of non-Indigenous people from the mission. The elders of the clans aimed to determine their own futures, basing their societies on Yolngu law, while living and raising their children on their lands in a sustainable and self-sufficient way. In 1985, Laynhapuy Homelands Aboriginal Corporation (LHAC), an Aboriginal corporation ,

8730-557: Was in 2007 won by Shirley Purdie with Linda Syddick Napaltjarri a finalist on three separate occasions, while the Clemenger Contemporary Art Award was won by John Mawurndjul in 2003 and Judy Watson in 2006. There is a national art prize for Indigenous artists, the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award , which in 2013 was won by Jenni Kemarre Martiniello from Canberra. Indigenous artists, including Rover Thomas , have represented Australia at

8827-469: Was introduced. This led later to fabric design and batik work, which is still produced at Australia's oldest Indigenous art centre. While the initiatives at Hermannsburg and Ernabella were important antecedents, most sources trace the origins of contemporary Indigenous art, particularly acrylic painting, to Papunya , Northern Territory, in 1971. An Australian school teacher, Geoffrey Bardon arrived at Papunya and started an art program with children at

8924-468: Was named after the city of Arnhem in the Netherlands. The area covers about 97,000 km (37,000 sq mi) and has an estimated population of 16,000, of whom 12,000 are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people . Two regions are often distinguished as East Arnhem ( Land ) and West Arnhem ( Land ). The region's service hub is Nhulunbuy , 600 km (370 mi) east of Darwin, set up in

9021-420: Was perhaps unique in how "wholly new media were adapted so rapidly to produce work of such palpable strength". Much contemporary Indigenous art is produced using acrylic paint on canvas. However other materials and techniques are in use, often in particular regions. Bark painting predominates amongst artists from Arnhem Land, who also undertake carving and weaving. In central Australian communities associated with

9118-565: Was probably made in Beijing around 1735. In 1884, 10,000 square miles of Arnhem Land was sold by the colonial British government to cattle grazier , John Arthur Macartney . The property was called Florida Station and Macartney stocked it with cattle overlanded from Queensland. Monsoonal flooding, disease and strong resistance from the local Aboriginal population resulted in Florida Station being abandoned by Macartney in 1893. The first manager of

9215-666: Was the first litigation on native title in Australia , and the first significant legal case for Aboriginal land rights in Australia . The area is from Port Roper on the Gulf of Carpentaria around the coast to the East Alligator River , where it adjoins Kakadu National Park . The major centres are Jabiru on the Kakadu National Park border, Maningrida at the Liverpool River mouth, and Nhulunbuy (also known as Gove) in

9312-460: Was the only Australian artwork to make that list. At that time, of the 20 most valuable Australian artworks in the collection, it was also the only one by Indigenous artists. Andrew Sayers , former head of Australia's National Portrait Gallery and the National Museum of Australia , described the work as "among the most profound works of art to emerge from the last 20 years". In the late 2000s,

9409-676: Was won by Shane Pickett . In 2013, Churchill Cann won the Best West Australian Piece (A$ 10,000) and North Queensland artist Brian Robinson won the Best Overall prize (A$ 50,000). Wayne Quilliam was awarded the 2009 NAIDOC Artist of the Year for his many years of work on the local and international scene working with Indigenous groups throughout the world. The National Indigenous Heritage Art Awards were held in Canberra from 1993 until 2000, with entries exhibited at Old Parliament House . Arnhem Land Arnhem Land

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