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This page is designed to help you understand a little better the history of Contemporary Aboriginal Art. Below you will find an introduction into the main art-producing centers, their location and the characteristics of the art produced. These are only short introductions and are far from being exhaustive, though we hope that they will suffice, if not completely, then generally to present a picture in your mind of this contemporary form of art. If you wish to expand your knowledge of Aboriginal Art, please refer to the Further Reading section. Also, we have highlighted some artworks that Aboriginal Works has on offer from particular communities. We hope that this page will clarify any questions that you may have, and elucidate any ambiguities regarding the Aboriginal art. For any further comments and queries, please do not hesitate to write to us.

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Papunya

The Kimberly - Warmun

Arnhem Land

Further Reading

PAPUNYA

Location & History - 250km west of Alice Springs. Set up as an Aboriginal reserve by the Australian Government in 1960. However, the control was handed over to the local Aboriginals in the 70's and 80's. Papunya could well be called the birthplace of the contemporary Aboriginal art movement. In 1971, Geoffrey Bardon, a local school teacher had encouraged the local children to take up painting lessons. The elders of Papunya were full of enthusiasm, and began to paint an outdoor mural which was related to the Honey Ant dreaming. Right from the very beginning Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd, has been the artists cooperative that supports and represents the artists that appertain to the community.

Characteristics - The 'dot' style painting has become the most common and popular style of painting in all of the Aboriginal contemporary art. There have been many changes over the years, but , many artists have decided to stick to this method. Shapes may include 'U' shapes, concentric circles and Arcs predominate. The palette of the Papunya Artists is usually restricted to the four naturally abound colors - yellow, white, red and black. Even though many artists have tried, and still experiment with different colors and tones, many stick to these four basic colors.

Artworks by Papunya Artists:

LAJAMANU

Location & History - Lajamanu was established in 1946 when some twenty-five Warlpiri people were transferred from Yuendumu. This happened again on several occasions, but the Warlpiri people didn't want to be forcibly removed from their lad, so they walked back on many occasions. There now is a thriving community that is unique to the area. The painting movement in Papunya had received a lot of criticism from some of the elders of Lajamanu and other tribes. They didn't think it right to sell works of sacred significance. After the death of one of the elders - Maurice Luther Jupurrula, the people of Lajamanu started painting and selling the works with more freedom.

Characteristics - In the early years, the four colors that were restricted to the Papunya artists (red, white, black and yellow) were predominant in the works produced by the Lajamanu artists. The palette is not as restricted as before and the style of work is liberal. Many of the works have a spontaneous feel about them and rank them amongst some of the most experimental and contemporary in Australia.

Artworks by Lajamanu artists:

YUENDUMU

Location & History - 300km north west of Alice Springs. Established as an Aboriginal reserve in 1946 by the Australian government, and handed over to the people in 1978. The art movement kicked-off roughly ten years after that in Papunya thanks to the work of Anthropologists who had introduced the locals to modern materials. The Warlukurlangu Artists Association cooperative was established 1985 to support the local artists. The majority of the Yuendumu artists are women.

Characteristics - The Yuendumu artists didn't decide to restrict their palette to the four colors of white, red, black and white. Rather, they use some of the brightest and most fantastic array of colors to create some of the most brilliant works in contemporary Aboriginal art. Concentric circles, footprints, small dotting and mosaic like patterns have characterized much of the Yuendumu artwork.

Artworks by Yuendumu artists:

HAASTS BLUFF

Location & History - 230km west of Alice Springs. It is home to the Western Arrernte, Pitjantjatjara and Pintupi people. The settlement was established in 1946 Lutheran by missionaries. The painting movement began in the early 1970's (shortly after Papunya) and has since had much attention and critical acclaim for producing some very fine talent.

Characteristics - Being so close to Papunya (forty kilometers to the north), the style in painting is quite similar to that of Papunya. There was a more reliable water supply at Papunya, so many residents of Haasts Bluff traveled to and fro from the communities. The contemporary movement has seen a rise in new styles and variations in choice of colors and subjects.

Artworks by Haasts Bluff artists:

HERMANNSBURG

Location & History - 130km west of Alice Springs. Hermannsburg was established in 1877 by Lutheran Missionaries. The missions goal was to provide the people with religious instruction , white mans education and employment opportunities. In 1934, a gallery exhibition was set up that included works of two Melbourne artists - Rex Battarbee and John Gardner. An estimated three hundred Aboriginal people came to see the works on display. Albert Namatjira (1902 - 1959) was the one man who was most enthusiastic about learning something from this experience. The steps he took in learning to paint with modern materials let him to become one of the most famous Aboriginal Australian artists. The movement caught on quickly and the artists had almost immediate success.

Characteristics - Realism over symbolism. Although much of the contemporary art produced by the various tribes has a dreaming story behind it, there is little that needs interpreting in the Hermannsburg watercolors. The land is portrayed 'as is'. The works are realistic, yet some works hold a secret dreaming story that is portrayed by the bending branches of tree, or shapes of faces on rocks and cliffs. In the words of the late Wenton Rubuntja -

"Doesn't matter what sort of painting we do in this country, it still belongs to the people, all the people. This is worship, work, culture. It's all Dreaming. There are two ways of painting. Both ways are important, because that's culture." – (The Weekend Australian Magazine, April, 2002).

The most characteristic artworks that have been produced in the Hermannsburg area in the 20th Century are watercolors on paper. The strong colors of the earth, mountains, rock and sky are unique to the arid zones of the Central and Western shine wonderfully with the brilliant watercolors of the Hermannsburg artists.

Artworks by Hermannsburg artists:

UTOPIA

Location & History - 230km northeast of Alice Springs. Utopia was not established as a government settlement or mission station, it was rather a pastoral station that was handed over to the people in 1979. The land was basically massacred by the cattle that the European settlers had introduced. In 1977 a Batik fabric making workshop had started which involved many of the local women. In the late 80's and 90's, the women tried their hand at painting on canvas. Emily Kame Kngwarreye (1910-1996) was one of the stars from this area. Her liberal use of paint, and that somewhat spontaneous feeling that her artworks evoked, turned her into an internationally famous artist in a short period of time. Urapuntja - the artists cooperative was set up in 1999 and helps organize many exhibitions for the local artists.

Characteristics - The Utopian artists have a rather charged enthusiasm when it comes to experimenting with new forms, motifs, colors and compositions. Men's painting in the Utopian region is also strong and notable yet for a slightly more formal quality representing ceremonial design.

Artworks by Utopian artists:

THE KIMBERLY - WARMUN

Location & History - The Kimberly region covers a massive 420,000 square kilometers. To the north and west it borders the Indian Ocean. Warmun is a town close to the Bungle Bungle Ranges. The art movement has been in movement since the mid 80's. Waringarri Arts Centre at Kununurra, was established by the community to service all the Kimberly artists. The most famous and highly valued Aboriginal artist - Rover Thomas (1926 -1998) was the central figure in the art movement. His dreamings were new. They were not stories that were passed on traditionally from generation to generation - he was the dreamer.

Characteristics - The ochre colors of the land form the palette of the Kimberly artists. The works are usually thick in texture, with layers upon layers of paint applied to the support material. The dreamings, as mentioned above are often those that explain the meaning of modern events. They may also at times be interpreted as maps of the land in which the artists live in. These are more symbolic than realistic, and at times difficult to interpret.

Artworks by Kimberly artists:

ARNHEM LAND

Location & History - The Arnhem Land region comprises some 150,000 square kilometers of terrain. Bordering the Gulf of Carpentaria stretching along to the West Melville River and includes Bathurst and Melville islands. Arnhem Land people have lived as an isolated community for circa 50,000years. In the early 1900's, Christian missions were set up for the community. In the 70's all control was handed back to the people of the land. Unlike other art-producing areas in Australia, Arnhem Land people have been painting on rock and bark for millennia. It right here were the oldest cave paintings in the world can be seen.

Characteristics - The artworks produced are mostly ochres on bark. The artists usually paint with natural ochres and most hesitate to paint with acrylics and other more modern materials. The 'X-ray' style is common to the west and central areas of Arnhem Land. The works are highly individual for they portray the local wildlife in a somewhat primitive yet highly decorative, for they represent a unique display of intricacy. The subjects and stories that the barks tell are both sacred and secular.

Artworks by Arnhem Land artists: