Key Points
- First Nation’s artwork is diverse and is not limited to dot painting.
- Art was one medium in which cultural stories, spiritual beliefs and knowledge were passed down generations, and is continued today.
- These artworks help artists feel connected to their Country.
- Symbols are up to the interpretations of the artists using them.
First Nations artworks are amongst the world’s oldest and boast a rich history, with the dating back 17,500 years.
These artworks have served as vital mediums through which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have continuously transmitted their cultural stories, spiritual beliefs, and essential knowledge of the land.
Indigenous art is a rich tapestry, encompassing a wide range of styles and techniques, each deeply rooted to First Nations peoples individual Country, culture and community.
However, people often have misconceptions about Aboriginal art, explains Maria Watson-Trudgett, a Koori woman and ‘fresh water’ woman of the Wiradyuri people.
Ms Watson-Trudgett is a First Nations consultant and a self-taught artist who is passionate about sharing her Aboriginal culture.
Maria Watson-Trudgett is a First Nations consultant, a self-taught artist, and a storyteller Credit: Maria Watson-Trudgett Credit: Courtesy of Richmond Fellowship Queensland, 2019
“Our traditional art was more about making marks for identification on tools, engraving in trees for marking ceremony and burial locations, or body painting for ceremony. It wasn’t necessary art,” she explains.
Ms Watson-Trudgett adds that dot-painting only emerged in the 1970s with the , a small Aboriginal community northwest of Alice Springs. It was here that Aboriginal artists began depicting their traditional stories using acrylic paints on boards.
There are many styles of Aboriginal art that artists use to convey their stories and their cultures. Aboriginal art is anything an Aboriginal person paints that connects them to their Country and culture, and creates... a sense connection and belonging [for them].Maria Watson-Trudgett
Sharing Culture
Ms Watson-Trudgett began painting in 2009 as a way to relax from the stress of full-time University studies. However, she soon discovered that art offered was more than just a means to “quieten the mind”.
It’s about sharing my story with other people, [and] keeping my culture alive. It also supports me connect to my Aboriginal culture, to my Country, to my old my people, and to the knowledge that I learnt while growing up on Country with family.Maria Watson-Trudgett
Arkeria Rose Armstrong, a Gamilaraay/Bigambul and Yorta Yorta artist, fondly recalls the stories shared by her grandparents.
Her grandmother, a Gamilaraay elder, was one of the last sand painters in the region.
“She would tell her stories while sitting on the ground, on Country, on sand Country, and she would tell us stories in the sand,” she explains.
These stories, passed down through generations, included tales of creation, animals, stars, and her grandmother's own experiences growing up on Country. Each story carried its own teachings, she says.
Art has always been part of Arkeria Rose Armstrong’s life. Credit Arkeria Rose Armstrong
Ms Armstrong describes her art as "intertwining of [her] two Countries”.
She draws inspiration from the symbols and imagery passed down by her grandmother, while her techniques are influenced by her grandfather, who is also an artist.
Re-telling the stories through her own artwork allows Ms Armstrong to reflect on the relationships connected to the story, evoking many emotions—a sentiment she shares with her daughter as well.
To continue culture, you need to share culture, and you need to practice culture. To share with our next generation is to make sure that they’re always at the table having those conversations.Arkeria Rose Armstrong
Connection to Culture
Davinder Hart is an artist with family roots in the southwest region of the Noongar Country, Western Australia. He spent his childhood in Adelaide, before reconnecting with his culture on Ngemba Country, New South Wales, later in life.
Mr Hart experienced significant challenges during his early years, leaving school at 16, struggling to find employment and battling substance abuse.
However, the support and guidance from his uncles and brothers were instrumental in helping him turn his life around and re-connect to his culture, which is often reflected in his artwork.
“I was fortunate enough to meet my uncles and brothers, who taught me stories about Country, and in those stories [teach] you how to conduct yourself... in a positive light,” he says.
For Mr Hart, art is not only a way to connect to his culture, but it is a form of healing.
“Definitely [in] a relaxed state as I am painting. I think for most of the time, the spirit gets to really take over that painting and the painting kind of just does it by itself. It is very therapeutic,” he explains.
Davinder Hart at Saudi Arabia, UN gala dinner, 2023. Credit Davinder Hart
Be part of the shared narrative
Ms Watson-Trudgett explains that First Nations artists may incorporate a variety of symbols into their work, some of which are specific to their Country, such as animal tracks.
The flowing lines and use of Aboriginal symbols in her work echoes the way her ancestors communicated when drawing impressions and symbols in the ground.
While some symbols may be universal, others might hold different meanings for different artists.
“Symbols are up to the interpretations of the artists that is using them. Never assume the use of symbols may mean the same thing to another artist,” she says.
Ms Armstrong says, a great starting point is asking about the stories told in the artwork.
“'Who is that First Nations person? What are those Countries and what do they look like?' Once you start asking those questions you start to see and feel that person,” she says.
“Some of my favourite ways of sharing my artwork is through exhibitions and being there in person, so that you can sit down and have those extended yarns with people about the artwork,
“I think its limiting sometimes when we share a story on a small piece of card next to the artwork. Depending on the relationship with the other individual is how much is shared. As a Gamilaraay woman, we share when someone is ready to learn.”
“Just be really open, don’t be afraid to ask questions,” Mr Hart adds.
“And within that conversation there, we’re building a connection just though that.”
