Indigenous Australian art in practice and theory

Abstract

At the centre of this article lies the famous Ngurrara Canvas, a work of art that has supported land claims in a Native Title Tribunal in the Kimberley region (NT) in 1997. This artwork serves as model case for my discussion of the cross-cultural relevance of Indigenous Australian art. My concern is, in particular, the role European art museums play in representations of the ‘Other’. A brief look at some sample exhibitions in Europe supports my perspective on Indigenous Australian art in crosscultural contact zones.