Aboriginal art

Q. What is Australian Aboriginal art all about

A. Traditional Aboriginal art is almost entirely religious and ceremonial, and it portrays - often in a very abstract manner - stories of 'the Dreamtime'. Rich and complex beliefs embodied in the Dreaming are expressed in a body of art with many layers of meaning that reflect the unique culture from which they derive.

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Q. What is the Dreamtime

A. It is an English term used by Australian Aborigines to describe religious or spiritual stories and the natural and moral order of the universe.

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According to the Dreamtime, spiritual beings shaped the land. They brought the first people into being and set them in their proper territories, and laws and rituals were established. Belief in a creative spirit - in the form of a huge snake, the Rainbow Serpent - occurs over much of Australia, and it is often associated with waterholes, rain and thunder. A common feature of religions across the continent is the Aborigines' bond with the land.

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The Dreamtime stories describe how giants and animals sprang from the earth, sea and sky, and criss-crossed the empty sub-continent of Australia before being reclaimed by the land. The places where they travelled or merged back into the land became mountain ranges, rocks and sites full of sacred meaning.

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Rituals, which must be re-enacted at certain times of the year in order to maintain the life of the land, are connected with many of these sites.

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Every individual has a Dreamtime ancestor associated with a particular animal, which that person must never kill or injure.

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Q. What kind of media do these artists use

A. Traditionally, perishable materials were used, such as bark and carved wood, so, as a result, few early works of this type survive.

Contemporary Aboriginal artists use a considerable variety of materials and techniques in their art. Some of these materials are rooted strongly in tradition - such as the use of ochre pigments on the Kimberley Plateau and painting on bark in Arnhem Land - but other artists have adopted modern media. One recent development in Aboriginal art has been the growth in pottery and ceramics.

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Q. What importance does it have in the international contemporary art scene

A. Aboriginal Art has now taken its place in the collections of the great museums and galleries around the world and is widely sought after, and the enthusiasm of dealers for Aboriginal art testifies to its dynamism and vitality.

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By Simon Smith