Goldfields Aboriginal Art Gallery

Goldfields Aboriginal Art Gallery
Australian Aboriginal art is the oldest living art tradition of Australia, with paintings in
rock shelters dating back 25,000 years. Contemporary Aboriginal art is a vital part of the world’s oldest continuous cultural tradition. It is also one of the most brilliant and exciting areas of modern art. This art gallery quality paintings and limited edition prints by Aboriginal artists – together with information and comment to help understand these art works
The oldest civilization known to man, Aboriginal Art has no written language and consequently relies on story telling (through paintings, song and dance) to pass on Dreamtime Stories from one generation to another. The naturalistic style, predominant in Arnhem Land in northern Australia, is often characterised by “X-ray� art, where the internal organs of animals are depicted. The abstract style, predominant in central Australia, originates from sacred designs used in ceremonies.
Much of Aboriginal art relates to stories of the Dreamtime. This Dreamtime is the Creation Period in Aboriginal belief, when important Ancestral Beings formed the land and created the people, plants and animals. These Ancestral Beings, often depicted in the art, may take human, animal, plant or combined forms, and taught the people their laws and ceremonies.