27 July 2013
People working in the dealership and showcase areas of the Aboriginal Art industry need to re-evaluate where they stand and where they place the Importance factor. Are they about Aboriginal Art or Aboriginal Artists? Do they want to promote the works by Aboriginal Artists or do they want to promote the “right” type of Aboriginal Art? I think the debate has stemmed far beyond Art Vs. Artefacts and is now in the realm of Art Vs. Artist. As the first stop for an artist, our specialised dealerships must decide whom they promote and must realise the influence that promotion has on the creative output of an artist. Many young teenage artists in Weipa Cape York at school are encouraged and supported to paint traditionally however the teachers and students don’t realise that the standard and styles as set as industry “allowed” are by and large works from central desert regions and Northern Territory i.e. dots and kinetic circles. What does it mean to be an Aboriginal Artist painting Aboriginal Art? Once again, where is the specialised helpers in the industry allowing for that growth? Or are we to dwell within a closed industry?
Land; land is one thing I am always asked about, if I paint about it or if my work is about it? Or politics, are my paintings in any way depicting of the Aboriginal Political and Social struggle? Why is this all people see Aboriginal art can and is about? We talk about history and tradition in our artworks, there was none of this historically and we are more than just protesters and land-lovers nowadays so why shouldn’t our art be free to discover the new meaning of Aboriginality? When it comes to an artists’ style, if one is to be an Aboriginal Artist one is expected to have a style that resembles and is obviously aboriginal in concept. What happened to creative expression and exploration? What happened to an artist being encouraged to create Series or numerous bodies of work with diverse styles and concepts? I am about technique and love the changing of techniques, I respond to this the most in artists past and present. When I am asked what an artwork means I shut down. I will be my biggest critic and if I clearly did not create a work capable of speaking for itself then I need to hone a little more. This enters into the realm of Fear when it comes to Aboriginal Art. Are we too afraid to push the boundaries of Aboriginal Art and also of the reputation of an Aboriginal Artist or artist who happens to be Aboriginal? Why are viewers too afraid to question and judge Aboriginal works? Is Aboriginal Art above and beyond the norms of other styles and techniques? As an Aboriginal am I free to promote my non-Indigenous work as Aboriginal Art?
Land; land is one thing I am always asked about, if I paint about it or if my work is about it? Or politics, are my paintings in any way depicting of the Aboriginal Political and Social struggle? Why is this all people see Aboriginal art can and is about? We talk about history and tradition in our artworks, there was none of this historically and we are more than just protesters and land-lovers nowadays so why shouldn’t our art be free to discover the new meaning of Aboriginality? When it comes to an artists’ style, if one is to be an Aboriginal Artist one is expected to have a style that resembles and is obviously aboriginal in concept. What happened to creative expression and exploration? What happened to an artist being encouraged to create Series or numerous bodies of work with diverse styles and concepts? I am about technique and love the changing of techniques, I respond to this the most in artists past and present. When I am asked what an artwork means I shut down. I will be my biggest critic and if I clearly did not create a work capable of speaking for itself then I need to hone a little more. This enters into the realm of Fear when it comes to Aboriginal Art. Are we too afraid to push the boundaries of Aboriginal Art and also of the reputation of an Aboriginal Artist or artist who happens to be Aboriginal? Why are viewers too afraid to question and judge Aboriginal works? Is Aboriginal Art above and beyond the norms of other styles and techniques? As an Aboriginal am I free to promote my non-Indigenous work as Aboriginal Art?
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