Acrylic Paintings
Acrylic paintings are merely a new form incorporating the classic elements of Aboriginal Life. They state a person's relationship to those around them, to the land and to the Dreaming. They also represent a new context of interaction between indigenous and western societies. Through modern art the Aboriginal people are able to introduce and express their culture to the world.
Contemporary Art
Acrylic paintings by Central Australian Aboriginal people is one of the most exciting developments in modern Australian Art. The paintings are mythical representations of landscapes or conceptual maps of designs wrought by ancestors. In this tradition, paintings, dances and songs relating to the Dreamtime are repeating the work of Ancestors, thus keeping the Dreaming alive.
History
It was the arrival at Papunya in 1971 of a young school teacher, Geoff Bardon, that provided the catalyst for an explosion of the modern form of artistic expression. Acrylic on canvas.. Bardon started a school project to paint a mural. The painting was taken over by elders who used traditional art to create "Honey Ant Dreaming", the Dreaming for Papunya 300 km west of Alice Springs.