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Colonization effects on indigenous people
Colonization effects on indigenous people
Effects of colonization on indigenous people
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[DOCUMENT TITLE] [Document subtitle] Richard Bell is an Aboriginal artist from the Gamilaraay people that originally come from North West New South Wales and South West Queensland Bell was born in Charleville, Queensland in 1953. He is a leading artist that established an arts protest movement, alongside other urban Indigenous artists whose work initially provided a means of expression during the lead up to the 1988 bi-centenary of colonial occupation. As an artist, Bell is based in Brisbane, Queensland and his work challenges stereotypes and perceived notions of ‘traditional’ and ‘modern’ Indigenous art. He also addresses contemporary issues such as Indigenous disadvantage, religion, racism, art & politics. Bell states that This paper …show more content…
will discuss Richard Bell’s viewpoint as he expressed angst about the current state of the Indigenous arts industry through his 2003 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award winning painting Aboriginal Art – It’s a White Thing. In 2003, Richard Bell won the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award with the artwork ‘Aboriginal Art – It’s a White Thing’.
The Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards is Australia's longest running Indigenous art award (Telstra Award, 2016). The award was established in 1984 by the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory in Darwin. It is open to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists working in all forms and mediums. The Telstra Award is a cash prize of $50000. As an Aboriginal Artist, Bell used his artwork ‘Aboriginal Art – It’s a White Thing’ to project his perspective on key issues important to many Indigenous artists. These issues include the notion of appropriation and control of Aboriginal arts and culture, the commercial exploitation of Aboriginal art and artists as a colonial process and the ethnocentric ideas that characterise Aboriginal art as artefacts rather than contemporary work from an Australian Indigenous arts movement (Bell, 2002). Bell, (2002) suggests that ‘Aboriginal Art is a "movement" and as yet has not graduated to ‘ISM’ status by being "named”. Rather, Aboriginal culture and art is predominately portrayed as a collective expression of an objectified group of people that reflect colonial stereotypes of an unchanging culture caught in the ethnographic present (Hastrup, 1990). Aboriginal art is a product and expression of a living dynamic culture that reflects the accumulated knowledge, traditions, experiences, values, history, lifeways, kinship, country and economics of thousands of generations of Indigenous Australians (McCulloch,
2017). The production of what is known as ‘Aboriginal arts’ in a contemporary sense is a recent trend. Prior to colonisation Aboriginal people did not partition artistic expression into a separate box through a reductionist process. Aboriginal art was one of many forms of expression that related the world view of Aboriginal people in a holistic approach that was inter-related and intrinsically connected to the Dreamtime. Traditionally, Aboriginal art forms included weaving, carving, bark painting, rock art and body painting (Kleinert and Margot, 2000). These forms had a foundation in the ‘Dreamtime’, being the spiritual base for the understanding of the physical and supernatural world (McGrath and Jebb, 2015). Since the 1930’s Aboriginal art diversified into numerus modern forms using contemporary mediums and materials (Dussart, 2006). The rise of the Aboriginal art movement created an economic niche in the art world as a form of Indigenous expression such as the work of Albert Namatjira (Newstead et al., 2014). However, in the last 3 decades Aboriginal art has been in great demand as a commodity and a curiosity diversifying into a movement that reflects both traditional and contemporary understandings and experiences. With the attraction of Aboriginal art as a financial commodity and lucrative investment, issues of power control and profit has come to the fore (Genocchio, 2008). Bell, (2002) states that: From Bell’s perspective, the trend of appropriation and control of Aboriginal art and culture can be clearly defined and supported. Appropriation is the adoption and use of the characteristic elements of one culture by members of another culture without permission or consent (Young, 2010). Bell’s obvious distaste for appropriation is connected to three arguments. The first two relate to the inappropriate use of historical imagery, styles and designs passed down through generations of Indigenous people that reflect their tribal pre-colonial lifestyle. These styles and motifs are communally owned and no individual owner has entitlement, without proper cultural permission through traditional protocols. Any copying of this body of work becomes an appropriation of Indigenous culture. This correlates to the notion Bell, (2002) relates as the ‘death of the author’, as the objective of Aboriginal art is to present a specific story attached to a community, and each Aboriginal icon has a direct meaning behind it. Thirdly, the sharing of imagery between western and Indigenous art has led to the assumption that adoption of Indigenous styles is acceptable. However, Bell believes that prior to any use of Indigenous imagery, a consensual collaboration must first be achieved. Finally, Bell sums up his argument by recognising the importance of retaining culture for Indigenous people and the unwavering hold to keep ownership of traditions and Indigenous ways of life for future generations. The cultural acquisition of Indigenous art is a breach of ownership and becomes an issue for Indigenous people. Indigenous people in Australia have the worst social statistics in Australian society and rank very poorly in world comparisons to attribute Indigenous Australian people with third world conditions (Humanrights.gov.au, 2017). As a marginalised social group Indigenous Australians do not have the power or capacity to gain rights or control of the Aboriginal arts Industry to provide a negotiated benefit sharing relationship without government and cross institutional support. Despite the advocacy of Indigenous Art Associations, Aboriginal arts is still controlled by predominately non-Indigenous people that focus on profit making rather than equitable collaborative capacity building (Newstead et al., 2014). This reality supports Bell’s angst. Bell relates numerous instances Aboriginal Artists’ relinquishing works at extremely low prices to unscrupulous dealers to resell to realise exorbitant profits. Within the business management aspect of art, where there is an artist and an art centre, it is the standard that the artist receives 60 percent of the profit, without a dealer, or 40 per cent of the profit, with a dealer. However, in the Indigenous spectrum of commercial art, there are many scenarios where the selling artist is severely exploited. It has become a norm that Indigenous artists receive 10 per cent or less from their artwork, and in its place a middleman makes what should have been the artists profit. Bell’s ‘Triangle of Discomfort’ is a graphical representation of an Indigenous profit structure, in which the dealer gains the highest profit. From this graph, it is suggested that it is essential for the co-operation of dealers to overcome the commercial oppression of indigenous artists. As Bell acknowledges the number of dealer’s, he explores the options of removing Art Centre’s, and regulating the middleman’s commission to 20 per cent of the profit. As Art Centre’s have access to the latest technology, 1. Aboriginal art industry can support change it can support the renewal and passage of cultural knowledge and history and provide financial benefit to disadvantage communities to deliver self determination 2. But it has to be Collaborative and consensual It promotes Aboriginal art – contemporary 21st century – it gives a place for Indigenous world views Contribute to a greater Australian National Identity of belong to place
‘’Jeffrey Smart was born on July 1921 and pasted away on the 20th June 2013. He was an Australian painter known for his clear depictions of urban landscapes. Jeffrey Smart was born and educated in Adelaide where he worked as an Art teacher. After departing for Europe in 1948 he studied in Paris at La Grande University and later at the Academia Montmartre with great success. He returned to Australia in 1951, living in Sydney and began exhibiting frequently in 1957.later in his life he moved to Italy in 1971 after a successful exhibition in London, to continue his art career until his death. His art well reflected his art form.
Through the three pieces, the landscapes reflect a painting style is more often associated with European Romantic art, however, unlike the others, the central piece showcases the sky painted with miniscule dots, a technique common within Indigenous art (Lingard 2014, 44). However, the fact that the sky is the only piece of the composition painted with this technique and is placed in the background while more European inspired art and images are placed in the foreground is potentially symbolic of the marginalisation of Indigenous people and their culture in contemporary Australian society. Within Bennett’s own life, he was brought up without his Aboriginal heritage ever being spoken of, describing it himself as “overwhelming Euro-Australian” (McLean 1996, 20). Thus, within his artworks, a dotted circle at the top of each composition includes black footprints facing away from the circle, which matches his personal experience of Indigenous culture being ‘left behind’ in contemporary Australian society. The artist lived in a time where he was connected to a variety of Indigenous experiences including his own as well as the servitude of his mother, and thus through the combination of these varying art techniques, Bennett evokes both discord and further represents the marginalisation of Indigenous culture
Contemporary art is the art that has been and continues to be created during our lifetimes, which can include and represent the Australian culture, politics and music as well as in art forms such as portrait and landscape. Contemporary art is defined as art that is current, offering a fresh perspective and point of view and often employing new techniques and new media. Current art means work by both emerging and also established artists. Rosalie Gascoigne and Imants Tillers are honoured for their contribution showing the Australian landscape in fresh, new and transformational way. Whilst both are similar in their use of text and original interpretation of our landscape they are vastly different in their approach and creating meaning for their
Indigenous Australian artist Gordon Bennett re-contextualises the work of Colin McCahon by borrowing and transforming key visual features. Bennett’s work challenges the viewer and gives them an alternative perspective of the culture and identity of Indigenous Australians. The quote by The National Gallery of Victoria states, “Often describing his own practice of borrowing images as ‘quoting’, Bennett re-contextualises existing images to challenge the viewer to question and see alternative perspectives.” This quote is clear through analyzing the visual features as well as the meaning behind the work of Gordon Bennett’s appropriated artwork ‘Self-portrait (but I always wanted to be one of the good guys)’ (1990) and comparing it to Colin McCahon’s
The 1961 US Freedom Rides were an immense driving force within the African American community seeing as the participants— mere students who were part of an activist group called the Congress of Racial Equality (CoRE)— refused to give up on protesting for what they believed in even when being violently attacked by those who strongly opposed them. It is obvious that their perspiration and determination to achieve their goals would inspire many and, due to the ever increasing inequality and dehumanising behaviours directed towards Australian Aborigines during the same time period, inspiration was exactly what was needed to begin protests and activisms much like those conducted within America. Throughout the time period that followed the US Freedom rides, Australian Aborigines partook in their own activisms which included a Freedom ride that is believed to have been inspired by those that took place within America.
Samuel Wagan Watson presents an Aboriginal perspective on Australian identity, exploring the marginalization of Aboriginal culture. Watson associates
Dr. Marcia Langton, an anthropologist from Australia of Australian Aborigines descent, spoke at the Berndt’s lecture in 2011. Her article, Anthropology, Politics and the Changing World of Aboriginal Australians, focuses primarily on the works of an anthropologist couple Robert and Catherine Berndt. They had completed many ethnographic studies in various areas around Australia. Langton states that their work has been crucial in order to have a complete understanding of the Australian Aborigines’ society. The indigenous Australian’s society has been thoroughly researched by many social sciences through the decades. Artworks, religion, rituals, economy, politics, and even claims of UFO sightings have been recorded by a multitude of scholars. It could be argued that the Australian Aborigines’ culture has been better documented than any other non-western society. I would like to capture the movement of Australian Aboriginal tradition to a more modern society by incorporating Dr.Langton’s works as well as the work of National Geographic Journalist, Michael Finkel. By researching the society as it is today in the 21st century, I will to analyze how they relate to Australians of European descent.
Serpico (1973) is a movie that reveals the true story of Frank Serpico who was the only honest cop in the New York police sector at his time. The film shows the realistic view of the corruption that was evidenced in the New York police and highlights the character of Frank as being honest and courageous. Although he started as an inexperienced cop, he later worked as an undercover officer and was determined to bust all the criminal activities especially the drug dealers and pushers. Unlike the other cops, Serpico refused to take any bribes from the wrongdoers. More so, he felt that the other officers were doing wrong by accepting bribes and wanted to expose the situation. The other officers were so corrupt that they collected more money through bribes than the salary they earned, a situation that did not please Serpico. His strong stand concerning corruption made his friends turn against him, placing his life in danger. The anti-corruption efforts of Serpico jeopardized his life at the hands of his colleagues. He was later transferred to the Narcotics Squad where he was shot by a drug dealer after his partners betrayed him by failing to support him. The cop was then rushed to hospital. The shooting made Frank deaf since it affected the brain, rendering
Neal Shusterman is a famous author,playwright, and scriptwriter. He is known for his great novels that relate to older children and teens around the world. His works include intriguing themes and adventures that keeps readers interest in his creations. Shusterman has been a sensational artist whose books have shaped his life. He is a dedicated writer with talent that surprised his peers and authorities over the years.
Before 1919, Aboriginal/indigenous art and artifacts were virtually non-existent in the world of art, with almost no representation whatsoever and was “thought to be dying under the waves of white cultural encroachment on their lands, languages and cultural practices.” (The Canadian Encyclopedia, paragraph #4). After returning from a trip to England in 1899, feeling “cheated by 'bad health and circumstances'”, Emily felt isolated in Victoria, being in her mid-thirties and single, grouped with her sisters critical opinions of her and old friends having moved away or joined private groups such as 'The Married Ladies' Club' that she could not join. In 1905, she visited a small Aboriginal village by the name of Ucluelet, where she had often been to in her teen years and had been known as Klee Wyck, meaning “laughing one” in Kwakiutl (Tippett, Maria, Emily Carr: a Biography, p. 63-65).
Media. The main means of mass communication regarded collectively. It comes in the form of t.v., radio, newspapers, magazines etc. The media has a way of portraying a story in a way that they want it to be seen by audiences. In other words, the media only tells us only what they want us to hear; which, may or may not be the truth or include the entire story. The media is always looking for the next best story and the competition to be the first one on the scene can be intense. A documentary by 9.14 Productions tells the story of a man and his art collection; The Barnes Foundation.
2002 The Post-Colonial Virtue of Aboriginal Art Zeitschrift für Ethnologie , Bd. 127, H. 2, pp. 223-240 http://www.jstor.org/stable/25842867
Basketball was created and has been played since December 1891 (Griffiths, 2010), it is a game of skill and talent that is enjoyed by fans all over the world. There are numerous leagues, but the two main leagues are the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). The NCAA is considered amateur where the players are not paid, and the NBA is considered professional where players make millions of dollars. In order for the NBA to get their players they draft from the NCAA, but the rules have changed several times over the years that have permitted players to enter the NBA. The current rule states that NBA players must be one year removed from high school or 19 years of age (Article X, 2008), this rule is considered by many needing the most change.
Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri to this day is recognised as one of the most collected and prominent Australia Aboriginal artists, he joined the PTA in 1972 and was one of their founding leaders. He vastly became one of the company’s most successful and creative artists, an advocate for art being compelling, layered and covered in the most vibrant colours and methodically rendered visual effects. In the year of 1976, himself and his brother Tim Leura Tjapaltjarri were chosen to paint large canvas’ and one in particular which is now known as ‘Warlugulong’ for a BBC documentary called Desert Dreamers. The painting itself was enormous and held complex narrative that had never been seen or done by the Papunya artists before. The fascinating glowing fire-burst in the centre of the painting represents the sacred bushfire dreaming story. The painting is named after the place where the fire began, the circles in the centre of the striking fire burst expresses the explosive nature of the fire. The charcoal grey parts display the burnt out country and white dots signify ash. This painting is only one of the many the Tjapaltjarri brothers painted for this documentary, however, it was the most monumental. The painting holds many symbolic representations of their sacred stories and the symbols within the painting are visually intricate and comprise of many repetitions and designs, fused with strong visual symmetry. During the early 1980s, Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri was appointed chairperson of the PTA. In 1988, the Institute of Contemporary Art in London planned a solo exhibition for Tjapaltjarri, this was his first solo exhibition and the first time an Australian Aboriginal artist had been recognised by the global art world. Over the next decade, he became the most broadly travelled indigenous artist of his era and became a representative
Throughout both ‘Rainbow’s End’ and ‘The Rabbits’, the audience discovers the plights that the Aboriginal Australians faced, due to discrimination and assimilation, in intensely confronting, yet intensely meaningful ways. We see how the discrimination and forced assimilation of cultures was common in the lead up to modern times because of composers like Harrison, Marsden and Tan reminding us of these events, allowing us to discover and rediscover our past wrongs through their works, in order to pave the way for a brighter, harmonious future. Without these documentations and retellings of events such as these, history would repeat itself, conflicts would be more apparent and we as a species would not be able to thrive and prosper due to our prejudices and superiority complexes.