Aboriginal art celebrates the land, for it is through painting, singing and dancing that the land can express and become itself.
A show in New York’s Asia Society of seventy-four pieces includes video to provide a context to the beautiful artwork – bark paintings (not all on bark) – on display until January 2025. Seventy-four pieces represent the art of north-east Arnhem Land’s Yolngu people in the exhibition.
Aboriginal art is not simply the dot paintings that most of us know of. Encompassing western art and local traditional practices, this art is complex and rich. Many of the paintings on display use natural sources for their hues but not all, a reflection of change and a recognition that this is a living art form. The works tell stories and convey information all the while keeping the secrets of their makers hidden. Some of the artworks look like textile hangings, a characteristic that has been successfully exploited to bring new designs to market.
Maḏayin: Eight Decades of Aboriginal Australian Bark Painting From Yirrkala is on in Manhattan until January 5th 2025.
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