Whether the revitalisation of Australian Aboriginal art has been one of the great success stories of modern art

In my opinion, I don't really agree with this statement. think it is not the true contemporary art. In the eyes of world, the revitalisation of Australian Aboriginal art is extraordinary and each one is unique.Aboriginal paintings are abstract and attractive. Most of us like abstract paintings so much, the different colors matching and a very strong feeling of unknown catch my eyes. The reality is aboriginal artists always keep up the traditional design style of their paintings. People don't really understand their culture, history, and even their true thoughts. Australian Indigenous art resists interpretation outside of its historicity and continues to elude definition in terms relevant to Western art theory. Sometimes, when we appreciate the aborigianl paintings in the art gallery or exhibition, I think most of us enjoy it, but that doesn't mean the revitalisation of Australian Aboriginal art has been one of the great success stories of modern art.

Artists: Lin Onus, Rover Thomas, Yvonne Koolmatrie

Lin Onus was an artist who did much to broaden the scope and league the strands of Australian Indigenous arts.He was also diffusely loved and respected for his compassion and willingness to lead the cause of Aboriginal progress. He experimented not only with painting but also with sculpture. Lin Onus' work is a spirit all compact of fire. Some of Onus' early works directly convey  the anger he felt at social injustice towards Indigenous and other groups he saw as oppressed. I really appreciate his spirit and quality. He always  express his thoughs metaphorically in his works. Sometimes, it's humorous, sardonic and acuminous.

Representative Works - Lin Onus

 Fruit Bats1991
polychromed fibreglass sculptures, polychromed wooden disks, Hills Hoist clothesline

250 x 250 x 250cm
Art Gallery of New South Wales 

 Ginger and my third wife approach the roundabout
1994
synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen
200.0 x 250.0 cm
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane
Purchased 2000. The Queensland Government's special Centenary Fund
© Lin Onus. Licensed by VISCOPY, Australia

Rover Thomas was one of the most famous aborigianl artists in Australia. His landscapes reflect the artist's immanent understanding and oneness with his country that representing a formidable and vibrant living essence. It's not just of the physical landscape, but also of the changing family gathering, past and present, that breathed life into and on the earth. I can extremely feel his love for the homeland, that's great and powerful. Rover Thomas' minimalist abstract works are at once ancient and contemporary, most painted in the umber and ochres colours of his native land. 

Representative Works - Rover Thomas

 Two Men Dreaming
1985
national pigments on canvas board
91 x 61 cm

 

 Gula Gula (Manking)
1989
earth pigments and natural binders on canvas
90.2 x 180.5 cm
The Janet Holmes à Court Gallery Collection, Perth
Purchased 1989
Reproduced courtesy of Warmun Art Centre

Yvonne Koolmatrie freed her imagination and breathed life into fantastical woven articulations that are her trademark. I really like her sculpture. Especially the Bi-plane that she discovered a coiled-weave monoplane. I felt the embrace of freedom in the sky. Exquisite techniques and lovable modelling caught my eyes. It's wonderful!

Yvonne Koolmatrie with her sculptures

Representative Works - Yvonne Koolmatrie

Bi-plane 1994Berri, South Australia, Australia
Object, Fibre object, woven sedge grass
Technique: Ngarrindjeri coiled basketry
50.0 h x 113.0 w x 135.0 d cm

Destiny Deacon

Destiny Deacon

Deacon is one of the most famous and controversial contemporary Aboriginal artists. She's interested in photography and video. I was shocked when I seriously understand and percept her projects. She's valiant and heated. Some of Deacon's  pictures satirise majesty. At first, I don't really understand what the meaning of her images and dioramas of dolls is. I think aboriginal arts and culture is profound and complicated. For the invastion of the Western colonists, few aboriginal artists can be so bold to voice their true opinions in their art works, but she did it. In my opinion, for a state and national recognition, are spiritual and artistic recognition and commitment to the arts in this pioneering role. Deacon's art works draws the viewer into encounters that both delight and unsettle that is an eloquent story.  I admired her spunk. As I read in the last article, the informality of Deacon's work and the sometimes raucous performances enacted for it ensure that it is never prescriptive, never too obvious. Although frequently acerbic, it is volatile, dynamic, humane and generous.

Destiny Deacon, Adoption (1993/2000),

Courtesy of the artist and Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney

Over the Fence 2000
from the series Sad & Bad
light jet print from Polaroid original
80 ◊ 100cm
Edition of 15
Courtesy of the artist and Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney.

Destiny Deacon,

Oz Games—Under the spell of the tall poppies 1998/2003