Aboriginal Art in Modern Worlds

World of Dreamings

Exhibition
8 Sept – 8 Nov 2000
Photographic series of staged tableaus

Tracey Moffatt, Something more series, 1989, Commissioned by the Albury Regional Art Centre with assistance from the Visual Arts/Crafts Board of the Australia Council and the Exhibitions Development Fund of the Regional Galleries Association of NSW, Courtesy of Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney

About

Two centuries ago, when Europeans first began to settle in this country, Indigenous Australia comprised many distinct cultural groups, each with their own language, customs, laws, spiritual beliefs and artistic traditions.

The coming of the Europeans has led to great social, political and cultural upheavals among Indigenous Australians, the courses of which have varied from place to place and over time.

Aboriginal Art in Modern Worlds celebrates some of the highest achievements of Aboriginal artists working in recent decades whose peoples confront widely differing circumstances.

To varying degrees, the art of Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Nym Bandak, Rover Thomas, John Mawurndjul, Fiona Foley, Tracey Moffatt, the Ramingining and Wik artists, is based in age-old traditions, yet it is a vital and dynamic expression of the contemporary realities of Aboriginal Australians who today live and work from Arnhem Land to New York.

Partners and Sponsors

  • Art Exhibitions Australia
  • National Museum of Australia, Canberra
  • Australian Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including Australia's participation in World EXPO 2000
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, Canberra
  • Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Canberra
  • Australia Council, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board, Sydney
  • The Thomas Foundation
  • Northern Territory Government through the Department of Arts & Museums and the Northern Territory Tourist Commission

The content on this page is sourced from: Aboriginal Art in Modern Worlds. Canberra: National Gallery of Australia, 2000.

Touring dates and venues

  • State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia
    2 February – 9 April 2000
  • National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
    8 June – 8 November 2000

Related

Exhibition

Mud Men
Ramesh Nithiyendran

Past Exhibition
A ceramic sculpture of a vaguely humanoid figure atop a cement platform

3 Jun 2016 – 26 Feb 2017

Mud men is a new installation by Sydney-based artist Ramesh Nithiyendran featuring five large-scale ceramic sculptures.

Exhibition

William Robinson
A Retrospective

Past Exhibition
Painting of landscape of trees reflecting in a body of water

14 Dec 2001 – 10 Mar 2002

This exhibition was one of the first retrospective exhibition of work by William Robinson, one of Australia's senior contemporary landscape artists.

Exhibition

Seeing Red
The Art and Science of Infra-red Analysis

Past Exhibition
Model layout of exhibitions with hands adjusting the location of works of art

17 Nov 2001 – 10 Feb 2002

This exhibition focused on infra-red reflectography and allowed children to see the many layers of artworks that are uncovered with infra-red light.

Exhibition

Silently Stirring

Past Exhibition
Two squirrels on a branch, one on all fours and another in an upright position with paws held up to mouth

21 Mar 2009 – 8 Jun 2009

Silently stirring explores the themes of movement, change and transformation through prints, drawings, photography and sculpture of animals.

Exhibition

Diane Arbus
American Portraits

Past Exhibition
A black and white photo of harried Christmas shoppers looking down at the photographer

3 Jun 2016 – 30 Oct 2016

The photographs of Diane Arbus (1923–1971) are powerful allegories of postwar America.

Exhibition

Transparent Things
Expressions in Glass

Past Exhibition
A large green quenelle shaped glass sculpture with horizontal grooves

7 Dec 2001 – 10 Nov 2002

This exhibition focused on artworks that responded to the transparency of glass and how the unique medium has inspired artists over the centuries.

Exhibition

In the Spotlight
Anton Bruehl photographs 1920s–1950s

Past Exhibition
Picture of a young redheaded offering a bouquet of red roses to an unknown figure whose elderly hands are shown in the frame.

23 Oct 2010 – 6 Feb 2011

Australian-born photographer Anton Bruehl's work ranges across advertising, images of stars of stage, screen and socialites in places such as Vogue.

Exhibition

The Birth of the Modern Poster

Past Exhibition
Print of a green goblin holding a bottle of alcohol upon a black background. Yellow text underneath reads Maurin Quina

10 Feb – 13 May 2007

The Birth of the Modern Poster examined poster art and its evolution from the late 19th century to the early 20th century.

Exhibition

Joy Hester and Friends

Past Exhibition
Painting of two figures embracing

1 Sep – 28 Oct 2001

This exhibition brought Joy Hester's remarkable contribution to Australian Art to the fore.

Exhibition

3rd National Indigenous Art Triennial: Defying Empire

Past Exhibition
A painting of many spears

26 May – 10 Sep 2017

The 3rd National Indigenous Art Triennial brings together the works of 30 contemporary First Nations artists from across the country.