A walk through the gallery

Australian Aboriginal art is the oldest living art tradition 
in the world, with paintings in rock shelters dating back over 
20,000 years. The art includes naturalistic paintings of human, 
plant and animal figures, as well as non-naturalistic, or 
"abstract" designs with concentric circles, "u" shapes, and lines. 

The naturalistic style, predominant in Arnhem Land in northern 
Australia, is often characterised by "X-ray" art, where the 
internal organs of animals are depicted. The abstract style, 
predominant in central Australia, originates from sacred 
designs used in ceremonies. These designs, originally for body 
painting, ground paintings, and carved on sacred stones and 
boards, are now painted on canvas.

Much of Aboriginal art relates to stories of the Dreamtime. 
This Dreamtime is the Creation Period in Aboriginal belief, 
when important Ancestral Beings formed the land and created 
the people, plants and animals. These Ancestral Beings, often 
depicted in the art, may take human, animal, plant or combined 
forms, and taught the people their laws and ceremonies.
(Courtesy Dr.David Welch)

Didgeridoos

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