Australian Museum presents Papunya Painting: Out of the Desert

Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 14.07.08

Discover the rich and special meanings behind Indigenous 'dot patterning' in 'Papunya Painting: Out of the Desert'. Featuring a stunning collection of rarely seen artworks, 'Papunya Painting: Out of the Desert' will answer all the questions you have wanted to ask about this unique style of Indigenous art.

Now open at the Australian Museum local audiences will be treated to a spectacular exhibition that will transport people of all ages into the epicentre of Western Desert Aboriginal culture right in the heart of Sydney. For the first time in a major public exhibition, 'Papunya Painting: Out of the Desert', brings together some of the early masterpieces of the renowned Papunya Tula art movement that spanned the 1970s and early 1980s. Visitors will not only marvel at the impressive scale and beauty of the designs - many of the paintings tower over 2 metres tall and 3 metres wide - but they will also have the rare chance to discover the real meanings behind these significant artworks.

While Papunya-style art and 'dot patterning' has become identified with Australia, few people are aware of the history, culture and rituals behind the development of this signature painting style. Consultation and collaboration with community elders, artists and arts advisors has endowed the exhibition with personal stories and opinions that help to provide an absorbing cultural and historical context for these works. From stories of ancestral ties and cultural landscapes to religious, social and family relationships - these are not just artworks, they reveal the lives and experiences of the artists who made them. And in doing so, they compel visitors to revisit their understanding of the Papunya art movement, as well as the significance of the artists who participated in it.

The exhibition will be at the Australian Museum from 5 July - 2 November, 2008.
Opening hours 9:30am - 5pm seven days a week.

A Special Preview of this exhibition is also currently available as part of the Aboriginal Art Directory exhibition slideshows. » View the Papunya Painting: Out of the Desert exhibition slideshow.

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