DREAMINGS Desert Art From Australia

JUKURRPA - The Dreaming Jukurrpa (the Dreaming) is a spatial location on the inside of the earth’s surface; it is the realm of the ancestors – those whom the dead become as they recede from living memory into a ‘past.’ It is the source of energy for the growth of the contemporary world; it is the narration or creation of that energising as a social act. Jukurrpa must penetrate the present to assure its ongoing-ness. Western aesthetic judgements depend on a set of conventions about how elements such as space, and qualities of tone and colour, should be appreciated in a particular art tradition. The Aboriginal experience is quite different – they ‘see’ the landscape surrounding them from a distinctly different perceptual and psychological viewpoint. They have a strong philosophical relationship between individuals, social groups and the physical features of the landscape. So they see the land as a conscious, sentient and embodied presence which they compare to themselves and their own bodies. The emotional qualities of Aboriginal painting derive from an endowment of their artwork with Ancestral power; and much of their art takes an active role in ceremony. Their life’s goal is to transform themselves from human subjects into the forms of the Ancestral beings and the landscape, thus entering and becoming part of the Dreaming. Aboriginal art has a touch-oriented, a haptic property to it so that traditional designs in sand drawings, body decoration and sacred objects are read by touch which is a subjective response and does not specifically involve visual sensations. But even without having to understand or absorb the philosophical source of their art, we can, from our own aesthetic perspective, enjoy the freshness and immediacy of the design and colour in these pictures. As an art movement it is some 30 years old but its form is evolving at a rapid rate, and the western world is quickly appreciating the fresh and vibrant look it offers. In recent years Aboriginal artists’ associations have issued certificates giving authentification to the provenance or source of the work. Earlier paintings may not have been certified but source or place of purchase give an acceptable provenence. The etchings and screenprints in this exhibition are sold with certificates of authentification. The paintings carry point and date of purchase provenance.