The rise of Aboriginal art
Australian Aboriginal Art spans a history of tens of thousands of years, making it the oldest continuous tradition of art-making in the world. From the intricate sand and body paintings in the desert regions to the bark paintings and rock art in the North, the art forms of Australia’s First Peoples are diverse. Despite this variety, all Aboriginal art serves a common purpose: to communicate ancestral ties and a deep connection to the land.
“This is my land, this is my sea, this is who I am.”
– Sally Gabori
Emily Kam Kngwarray, Sally Gabori, Clifford Possum, Rover Thomas are some of Australia’s most famous artists. Their works have been internationally accepted and acclaimed. Kngwarray took up painting during the last eight years of her life, producing over 3,000 works – averaging one per day, according to the National Museum of Australia. In 2007, her painting Earth’s Creation I (1994) sold for A$1,056,000 (about $868,000), making it the most expensive piece of art by an Australian woman ever sold. In 2017, it doubled that price when it reappeared at auction in Sydney, achieving A$2.1 million ($1.6 million). The record for the most expensive Aboriginal artwork ever sold at auction, though, still belongs to Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, whose painting Warlugulong (1977), sold for A$2.4 million ($2.1 million) to the National Gallery of Australia in 2007.
“I want to paint these stories so that others can learn and understand about our culture and country.”
– Tommy Watson
An interplay of institutional and gallery exhibitions, private collectors, art fairs and auction houses has re-introduced Australian Aboriginal Art as a contemporary practice with international appeal. Some of the turning points are found in the USA, starting with ‘Dreamings: The Art of Aboriginal Australia‘ which opened at the Asia Society in New York in 1988. Following this trajectory there have been many major institutional and commercial exhibitions since then including a posthumous presentation of Emily Kam Kngwarray’s work at the 47th Venice Biennale; the group exhibition Australia at the Royal Academy of Arts, London in 2013; the first solo exhibition of work by Yukultji Napangati in the U.S in 2019 by Salon 94; Desert Painters of Australia, a major exhibition launched by Gagosian, New York in May 2019 and the first major solo survey exhibition of Sally Gabori outside Australia at Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain in 2022 amongst others.
The latest evidence of the rise of the Australian Aboriginal art is a major solo exhibition dedicated to one of Australia’s greatest artists, Emily Kam Kngwarray, opening in 2025 at Pace Gallery, London, which will be followed by a major exhibition at Tate, London, organised in close collaboration with the National Gallery of Australia (NGA).
Advisory team at L’Appartement
“Whole lot, that’s whole lot, Awelye [my Dreaming], arlatyeye [pencil yam], arkerrthe [mountain devil lizard], ntange [grass seed], tingu [Dreamtime pup], hankerer [emu], intekwe [favourite small plant food of emus], atnwerle [green bean], and kame [yam seed]. That’s what I paint, whole lot”.