Visit South Australian Museum

Today I am fortunate enough to visit the South Australian Museum. There is a very special exhibition about the Australian indigenous culture, history and art works. It makes me have a more comprehensive understanding of the Australian indigenous history, culture and art after this visit.

The museum displayed a lot of traditional and contemporary paintings, handicrafts, original articles for daily use and etc. It made me deeply feel the unique charm and style of the aboriginal art and at the same time it brought me an immeasurable space to dream away.

If there was something that could catch humans’ appreciation and resonation, it must be the aboriginal art. The most impressive fact for contemporary artists is, although aborigines still live in a primitive environment, their culture and art has developed considerably. Someone used ‘Dreaming’ to generalize all the aboriginal art, which is quite appropriate. For natives, dreaming is to describe the rich and coherent ideas, which includes values and mind. Dreaming is also ancestors who were born, have lived and died, yet still remains present.

In the exhibition, desert paintings gave me the impression of being abstract. These arts are to the hilt to preserve and extend its original mode of thinking and visual arts, which is living‘original art’. Its original style of primitive simplicity brought me a unique and fantastic visual experience. In the meantime, I started to be interested in how the aboriginal thinking reflects to the art form.

The basic characteristics of indigenous art are different abstract symbols formed by similar dots. Dots make us be reminiscent of the desert characteristic, and the basic state of matter forms world. Each Aboriginal painting relates to a particular artist's Dreaming, and as a result has a sense of feeling for a specific place.

Yanardilyi (Cockatoo Creek) 1930s

Acrylic paintng on carvas
Photo by Yan SUN
South Australian Museum, Adelaide

Yanardilyi (Cockatoo Creek) 1930s

One part of Yanarlilyi

Acrylic paintng on carvas
Photo by Yan SUN
South Australian Museum, Adelaide

Yanardilyi (Cockatoo Creek) is one of my favourite paintings in South Australian Museum. The painting contains the power and beauty of these artists' own Dreamings. I am attracted to the vividly colors and brightly dots painting. The footprint and symbols leads me into their mysterious and colorful world. I start to hear it, feel it.

My understanding from these paintings helped by the brief introduction and guidance of each art works, including: the content of the work, authors and place area. It can, these picture shows that in the Australian indigenous ‘Dreaming’ period of myth and legend story. Indigenes thought that the ‘Dreaming’ period is the whole world of beginning, and the sky, the earth, human and everything was born in this. Their understanding of the nature to reflect in the aboriginal art and it always become the theme of the description for the indigenous painting art.

By combining these collections of Australian Aboriginal art works in the museum, I found the aboriginal art works remains highly appreciation of the value and understanding. By comparing with traditional aboriginal art works, the traditional aftists don't have total artistic freedom, for he or she must only paint Dreamings of which their particular family has custoday. Nowadays, the contemporary desert paintings are not only related to their life, religions and stereotyping, it mostly reflects their own sentiments and inner thoughts. These paintings are resonant with meaning since they are renderings of artists’ personal dreaming. It must surely be that desert paintings are so distinctive and different. Each one is unique. On the basis of remained the style of the traditional aboriginal paintings, the contemporary indigenous artists put much more vivid colors in the art works that bring to people in visual impact. In the contemporary indigenous paintings, gorgeous color allows us to better understand what the artists express the artistic conception. It is not only lies in the painting arts, also demonstrated in their contemporary indigenous carving and etc. Art has been integrated into aboriginal blood. Not only for the all area of life, painted on the weapons is which highly artistic value.

Photo by Yan SUN
South Australian Museum, Adelaide

During the visit in South Australia Museum, one which catches my eye is aboriginal body adornment which is abundant. For instance, they used wood, cutting and carving animals’ bones and decorated with bird feathers, shells, mice to make beautiful necklace, bracelet, armlet, waist decoration and etc. They made some decoration from collections goods in their lives. It is characteristic and unique. Among them, the smallest carving decoration is the pearl shell. They carved some beautiful patterns on the polishing surface of the shell and colored it red. Probably In the special ceremony, these small pearl shells are embedded on the scarves and pendants as ornaments. Therefore, one of the ornaments caught my attention. It is made of pearl shell and engraved with a complex interlocking key design around concentric diamond shapes. The incised human-like figure is filled with red ochre. I'm curious that what they wanted to express. I guess it would be a joy or a certain symbolic meaning. Some of indigenes think that it is magical, so they often carve them into various shapes for people to wear.

Shields

Acrylic Paintings on surface of Shields 
Photos by Yan SUN
South Australian Museum, Adelaide

Aboriginal art works touched my heart to a great extent; I read what they brought with them beautiful dreams for life and religion. From the rock art, totem and some other paintings, I could see that indigenes momently regard every detail from their life. I especially like indigenous dot painting, which is a very unique way of expression. They used very simple dots and lines to sketch plants, animals, human and other what they imagined. Although they need to take more pains, they are happy, industrious with their art works. Artist was painting combined with humming a song in his own language that is cheerful. They were seeking their dreams and the inspiration of the art in joy.

 

Body Adornments 

Conch Necklaces 

Made of conches and strings 
Photos by Yan SUN
South Australian Museum, Adelaide

Body Adornment 

Pearl Shell Ornament 

Made of pearl shells and strings, carved patterns and colored it.
Photos by Yan SUN
South Australian Museum, Adelaide

Body Adornments 1954s   

Left: Seeds pendant

Made of seeds and strings 

Right: Feather pendant 

Made of feathers and strings

Used in Pukumani Ceremonies 
Photos by Yan SUN
South Australian Museum, Adelaide

A mass of written narrative and videos helps me understand their particular cultural and artistic background. Their thoughts are warm and honest. I have more interest in the Australia aboriginal culture and art and I’m getting to grips with their life-style and artistic thought.

Ancients made a great contribution to Art. During this visit, I drew some inspiration and design creation from the aboriginal culture, history and art that inspired me to explore and think deeply the true meaning of art.

REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

Songlines and Dreamings - Contemporary Australian Aboriginal Painting

Edited by Nigel Corbally Stourton

Source: The Interpretation of Desert Paintings, p.22

Published in 1996 by Lund Humphries Publishers Ltd

ONE SUN ONE MOON - ABORIGINAL ART AUSTRALIA

Source: Poetic justice: An overview of indigenous art - Ken Watson, pp. 17-27 

Published by: ART GALLERY OF NSW

Songlines and Dreamings - Contemporary Australian Aboriginal Painting

Edited by Nigel Corbally Stourton

Source: The Mythology of Dreamings, p.20

Published in 1996 by Lund Humphries Publishers Ltd

http://www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/aboriginalmaterialculture

Aboriginal Material Culture - South Australian Museum