Icons of the Desert (blurb#3)

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In 1971, at Papunya, a government-established aboriginal relief camp in the heart of Australia, a schoolteacher provided a group of men with brushes and acrylic pigments encouraging them to paint. The resulting works are the first paintings to record Central Australian cultural imagery to a permanent surface. This exhibition I attended in the Grey Art NYU gallery displayed these artworks of this indigenous tribe. Many works are focused on Dreaming, an ancient belief that the world was formed by their ancestors, who shaped the land and created all living things. The focus of the paintings vary from specific geographical locations to animals, plants, and even elements of the human body. These works ensure the culture’s eternal preservation.
“Icons of the Desert“ challenged me to accept these ethnic works as a type of art. Initially, my reaction was one of horror, but as I moved through the gallery, I got accustomed to them and began to appreciate their style. The intricate patterns of lines and dots amazed me, as each item stood as a symbol for a greater meaning. The elaborate designs were beautiful, and the sexuality shocking. Many drawings were actually very perverse – displaying distorted sexual organs. I am glad that I visited the gallery, but it still remains one of the freakiest art exhibitions I have ever seen.