How Does Aboriginal Art Tell Stories and Create Meaning?

How Does Aboriginal Art tell Stories? Here we give you an insight into the world of Aboriginal art. 

Aboriginal art is an important form of expression. The medium has been used by Aboriginal artists for generations to convey important cultural stories and educate others. Through symbols, icons and dots, the art showcases Aboriginal knowledge of the land, survival teachings, events and beliefs, and holds great cultural significance.

A form of visual story telling

Artists express themselves through their artwork, and Aboriginal art is renowned for its visual storytelling capabilities. Each piece can be based on the artist’s individual journey or the overall evolution of Aboriginal culture. Aboriginal artists inherit rights to paint certain cultural stories and often require permission to paint traditional stories by those who have ownership of the mythology.

The telling of stories in the art is often managed by family groups as these are passed down through the generations. The stories conveyed in the artwork can convey different meanings depending on the audiences age and cultural experience, as the stories told can take one form when told to children, and another higher-level form when told to initiated elders.

Using symbols to create meaning

From Dreamtime stories to important stories of survival, and historical events, Aboriginal art gives great significance to the culture. Various tribes can have their own symbols that create meaning specific to them, and by doing so we can learn about the importance of their family and their experiences through the generations.

Symbols and dot formations are often a big part of the artwork, and there are certain symbols that offer a unified meaning across all tribes. For example, concentric circles, ‘U’ shapes and digging sticks are typically used to convey similar meanings to the audience, despite vastly different language groups and tribe life.

Like most artwork, the meaning of the piece lies within the mind and heart of the artist, but generally Aboriginal art is designed to be shared and taught to generations.

For future generations

It is imperative that stories be told to preserve the Aboriginal culture, and without written language, drawings and paintings take precedence. With many tribes focused on differing cultural significance, Aboriginal art has much to convey, and the use of various designs and dot formations is what makes Aboriginal art an interesting and important storytelling device.

To learn more about Aboriginal art and view some for yourself, visit Mbantua Gallery.