Through the dynamic use of dots, lines, and natural pigments, Aboriginal art captures a profound connection to Country, with themes of Dreamings (Jukurrpa), ancestral stories, and the natural world deeply embedded in every brushstroke.
For tens of thousands of years, Aboriginal communties have been using ochres (iron clay pigments) as ceremonial body paint and for drawings on bark, rock walls, and on dirt or sand. Aboriginal artwork as seen on canvases, however, only developed as a practice fifty years ago.
In 1971, a schoolteacher named Geoffrey Bardon began working with Aboriginal children in Papunya, near Alice Springs. He noticed that while Aboriginal men were telling stories, or singing songs, they would often draw symbols in the sand alongside their spoken words. Bardon encouraged his students to paint their stories onto physical canvases and boards, and the modern Aboriginal art movement was born.
Aboriginal art differs in character and style, depending from which region the artist is from, and what language they speak. Artists originially relied on their local land to provide materials and tools. Ochre, soil, and charcoal, for example, were manipulated to produce pigmented colours such as white, yellow, red, and black.
For indigenous peoples, the story is always paramount. Aboriginal artists cannot paint a story that does not belong to them through family. They inherit the rights to these stories, which are passed down, generation to generation, within certain skin groups. Aboriginal artists paint elements of their particualar Jukurrpa, which essentially forms a part of their inheritance and identity.
Jukurrpa (in the Warlpiri languauge) and Tingari (in the Pintupi language) is the translation of Dreamtime, the period in which life was created, according to Aboriginal culture. Dreaming is the word used to explain how life came to be; it is the stories and beliefs behind creation. The Dreaming is a defining element in Aboriginal painting, which often depicts narratives concerning identity, spirituality, ceremony, and people's connections and obligations to the land on which they reside.
Aboriginal art celebrates both tradition and innovation, as Aboriginal artists continue to evolve their artistic practices while staying deeply connected to their cultural roots. Through painting, Aboriginal peoples have been able to keep their traditions alive in a new way and teach their art form to their kin, ensuring future livelihoods through income generated from their art.
Prince & Pilgrim is honored to exhibit this collection of contemporary Aboriginal art. This collection highlights the works of artists from the Anmatyerre and Alyawarre people of Utopia, alongside other First Nations artists from across the Northern Territory--offering a powerful and diverse reflection on the rich cultural traditions and innovative artistry of Indigenous communities.