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| History of the Aboriginal Artistic Narrative “For thousands of years First Nations have told their stories to document their history and to teach their values, beliefs and traditions of their culture. Stories have been told through oral accounts, legends, songs, dances, ceremonies and art. These stories communicated the experience of life and metaphors of life and it is within these stories that we learn the history and lessons of life and learn to make meaning of life itself. The Arts are central to who we are as First Nations people, the arts have always been the reflection of our being in place and time.” --Mary Longman, 2000. |
Reflections of Place and Time My art is a reflection of my life, of being in place and time, just as art production is essentially a mirror of the self and the self in life. Aboriginal Art Preserves Culture... Aboriginal artists have made a massive contribution towards cultural preservation over the past 10 thousand years though their creative artefacts that documented the cultural ideology of their time period. From these ancestors art we have learnt about their spiritual practices, mythology, historical events and social customs. Today, artists continue in this role, producing work that documents recent history, important historical/political events, cultural practises, social realities, and experience of co-existence in a colonized country. Their art, preserves this cultural and historical information for generations to come.  Traditional and Contemporary... My work reflects the perpetual continuum of aboriginal artistic practice throughout history. Even though my art work is defined as contemporary today, when my life has passed, my work will be defined as traditional and another contemporary artist will have taken my place, with new creative expressions congruent with their cultural realities.Nature and the Human Story... The metaphoric forms that evolve from my themes, are usually inspired by nature. I see poetics in nature’s forms that reveal a connection to the human story. It has been my observation that the human story of life is what connects hearts and people. I see my exhibitions as an opportunity for the viewer to make a connection with the aboriginal experience, to bring understanding and perhaps make meaning in their own lives. >More reflections and quotes view online.< |
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