Art at a crossroads: Aboriginal responses to contact in northern Australia

This project aims to investigate historical Aboriginal responses to ‘contact’ with newcomers to their land. It will generate new knowledge using systematic recordings of rock art and bark paintings created during the last 400 years in western Arnhem Land. The analysis of these key visual first-hand records of Australia’s history, together with documentation from digital archives and other media, will lead to new ways of understanding Aboriginal history. Drawing on multiple forms of media, we will examine how Aboriginal people used graphic systems to navigate threats and opportunities in northern Australia, with the main benefit to Australia being a more
comprehensive and inclusive written history.

This research will raise awareness of rock art as a rare visual record of human history and experience and contribute to improved conservation and management outcomes. Importantly, this research aims to help build pride in Aboriginal history, heritage and culture both within local Aboriginal communities and across Australia by highlighting the lives, achievements and challenges faced by artists and their families in western Arnhem Land. This project aims to generate benefits for cultural heritage management programs, the Northern Territory tourism industry and school programs, as well as to provide new insights into the relationship between cultural heritage and Indigenous health and well-being. By generating and promoting this unique archive of Australia’s history, this research will speak to an international audience eager to learn from the Australian experience in order to better understand, interpret and protect their own cultural heritage.