WHAT AT FIRST MAY APPEAR TO BE AN UNDECIPHERABLE JUMBLE OF DOTS, LINES AND GLYPHS ACTUALLY DEPICT WONDERFUL TALES OF SPIRITS, TOTEMIC ANIMALS, CEREMONIES AND MYSTICAL LANDSCAPES. CONTEMPORARY AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL ART HAS COME A LONG WAY OVER THE PAST 40 YEARS AND IS NOW EXPERIENCING EXPONENTIAL INTERNATIONAL GROWTH. 114 robb report singapore Painting DREAMS by y-jean mun-delsalle OVER A DECADE AGO, Australian Aboriginal art was not taken seriously, whereas today it is considered one of the world’s lead- ing art movements. In its modern incarnation, it perpetuates the legacy of an ancient tradition through its contemporary interpretations of humankind’s Ooldest living art. Composed of designs of humans, plants and animals, as well as complex patterns of concentric circles, horseshoe shapes and stripes that have the impact of modern abstractions, much is related to stories of the Dreamtime. This is the creation period in Aboriginal belief, when ancestral beings formed the land and all its creatures, teaching people their laws and ceremonies. As it spans centuries of history, the art ensures continuity with the past and the transmission of spiritual knowledge from one generation Rover Thomas to the next, telling of the artist’s memories, family history and relation- ‘Mount House’ ship with his or her culture and environment. Each painting reveals a song, dance, sacred ancestral site, native cultural legend or the way to live harmoniously with nature. So it is far more than just a collection of pretty symbols—a representation of sacred traditions and repository of spiritual power, holding deep meaning for its artist. So as not to divulge too many closely-guarded family secrets of spiritual significance, wall texts and catalogue descriptions are often robb report singapore 115 Painting Dreams “Artists have become more experimental in their styles.” obscure and incomplete. Caroline Jones, Head of Art (New South Wales) of leading Australian auction house, Menzies Art Brands, notes, “The secret knowledge and Dreamtime stories were often forbid- den to the sight of the uninitiated, which caused much outrage when they were depicted in paintings and sold through the Alice Springs galler- ies. As a result, the designs and stories that were used in the paintings were modified and artists began to paint using more simplified iconography.” Although huge differences in the usage of materials, colours, patterns and painting techniques reflect the variety of Aboriginal art across differ- ent communities, the artworks address the same mythology, thus the meanings conveyed are largely homo- geneous and resemble the work of a single collective consciousness. The first artworks were paintings on rock faces using natural pigments, portraying animals, figures and dreaming stories in fine lines. Then bark surfaces were used, as well as wooden clubs, shields and woomeras. With the contemporary art move- ment came the use of modern mate- rials like acrylic paints, canvases and brushes, allowing Aboriginal artists more options style-wise, as less prepa- ration was required to prepare sur- faces and pigments. Jones comments, “Artists have become more experi- mental in their styles. However, tradi- tional iconography still underpins the patterning of their dreaming stories. Color is now also a feature of the Charlie Numbulmoore, ‘Wanjina’ 116 robb report singapore Painting Dreams contemporary style of painting and distinguishes particular nography and graphic vocabulary related to their aesthetic artists and their ‘country’, or sacred land.” and spiritual traditions, which until then had been painted Though the earliest examples of Aboriginal art were dis- on traditional mediums of bark and wood. He encouraged covered many millennia ago, the art form only gained rec- the senior men to recreate their stories on board, and sub- ognition in the 20th century. The contemporary Aboriginal sequently canvas for larger paintings, using acrylic paints, art movement began during a period that marked a turning which would leave a long-lasting legacy—a world away point in white Australian and Aboriginal relations, appear- from the impermanent nature of ceremonial sand paintings ing at the end of the assimilation era when many Aborigines, and body art to which they had been accustomed. due to oppressive governmental policies, were forcibly As Aboriginal people have no written language, they rely removed from their ancestral lands and repatriated to settle- on visual and aural traditions where their personal histories ments set up according to geography instead of culture. are told through paintings, songs and dances, which have This resulted in tribes living with Aborigines not of their led to localised styles of art among the numerous Aboriginal own group and in the territories of others, far from their communities. Bardon thus succeeded in revolutionising traditional lands, which were the source of their physical Aboriginal art, transforming it from a neglected art form to and spiritual sustenance. It was during this climate of dis- one that is now accepted in the mainstream and used to possession and despair, where efforts were made to suppress promote Australia to the world. their language, art and culture, that the contemporary art Western collectors, museums and galleries quickly movement was born. The Aboriginal people decided to accepted this non-representational art form as they had turn to art—which became symbolic of their inner become familiar with a variety of abstract expression over strength—as a triumph of the human spirit in response to the course of the 20th century and, within a year, the adversity. Papunya Tula Artist’s Cooperative was founded to market In 1971, when Sydney school teacher, Geoffrey Bardon, and sell the community’s artworks. This in turn spurred was posted to the isolated Papunya Tula Aboriginal settle- neighbouring Aboriginal communities to embark on art ment northwest of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, production, and a few small galleries in Alice Springs he realised that the Aboriginal people possessed a rich ico- popped up to sell their art. Tommy Lowry Tjapaltjarri, ‘Two Men Dreaming at Kuluntjarranya’ robb report singapore 117 Painting Dreams Alice Springs remains at the core of the contemporary deliver primed canvases and then collect them upon com- Aboriginal art movement and, following its example, pletion. The art cooperatives nurture creative expression, Aboriginal communities throughout Australia now have and catalogue and authenticate pieces and their related artists creating works for commercial trade. Jones says, “The materials and documentation. philosophy behind the commercial Aboriginal art move- Artists are paid according to rates established by the ment in Australia originated as a means for artists to express cooperative for every work sold, which in turn ensures the their sacred body and dance designs on a new medium, and perpetuation of a diverse cultural and social heritage. This has evolved into a multimillion-dollar sector of the funding also generates the largest, if not only, regular source Australian economy.” of income supporting entire family infrastructures that Although only men produced artworks on contempo- would otherwise be forced to resort to subsistence living. rary materials at the beginning, mainly because the anthro- Consequently, art has contributed to better living condi- pologists and art coordinators were primarily male, today tions and the very existence of many Aboriginal communi- women are the principal art producers. In most cases, artists ties. “Without it many communities would by now have will paint at government-funded art-producing centres become obsolete, and with it thousands of years of history managed by a salaried art coordinator and overseen by an and tradition,” elaborates Giorgio Pilla, Aboriginal art col- Aboriginal board of governance. Otherwise, field officers lector and founder of ReDot Gallery, Singapore’s first and 118 robb report singapore Emily Kame Kngwarreye, ‘Earth’s Creation’ only Aboriginal art gallery. Jones remarks, “The commercial success of Aboriginal art He explains the evolution of Aboriginal painting styles fundamentally caused the artwork to change both in con- over the past four decades. “The works have become much tent and style. The advent of ‘dot’ painting also emerged in more stylised. Early works were a reaction to thousands of response to the need to modify designs. Artists are increas- years of history being poured onto board, masonite, canvas, ingly moving away from using natural materials such as whatever was available. They were an incredibly important bark, ochres and earth pigments for the convenience of expression of history, of being, almost a writing of a reli- canvas and acrylic paints. Despite some artists still prefer- gious document detailing the rules and direction Aboriginal ring more traditional mediums, the breadth of colors avail- people took to survive on their lands and co-exist with able with acrylic paint is not available from natural ochres.” each other: how to hunt for food, where to find water, etc. Having assisted in firmly establishing a stable and credible Whilst current works still hold strong Dreamtime elements, international secondary market for Aboriginal art, Tim they are much more contemporary and tailored to the aes- Klingender, Sotheby’s Head of Aboriginal Art, divulges, thetic requirements of a growing international and domes- “Indigenous Australian art is a dynamic, constantly evolving tic market for the work.” art that varies dramatically from region to region. The des- Contemporary works often use vivid colours and repre- ert paintings have developed from small, jewel-like paint- sent a freer interpretation of traditional dreaming stories. ings on scrap pieces of board being painted at one com- robb report singapore 119 COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND C A RUANA & REID FINE ART Danie Mellor, ‘From Rite to Ritual’ 120 robb report singapore Painting Dreams munity in the early 1970’s to now, where large-scale Sales have climbed accordingly, with buyers learning where canvases are produced by hundreds of artists in dozens of to source high-quality works with solid provenance.