Thirty years ago Australian Aboriginal art was little more than a footnote to world art. Today, it is considered to be an important contemporary art movement, often promoted as being connected to a deep cultural past.

Becoming Art provides a new analysis of the shifting cultural and social contexts that surround the production of Aboriginal art. Transcending the boundaries between anthropology and art history, the book draws on arguments from both disciplines to provide a unique interdisciplinary perspective that places the artists themselves at the centre of the argument.

Western art history has traditionally regarded Aboriginal art as distanced in time and place. Becoming Art uses the recent history of Aboriginal art to challenge some of the presuppositions of western art discourse and western art worlds. It argues for a more cross-cultural perspective on world art history.

About the author

Howard Morphy is Director of the Research School of Humanities, Australian National University.

Contents

Preface

Introduction
Chapter 1: Cross-Cultural Categories and the Inclusion of Aboriginal Art

Section 1: A Short History of Yolngu Art
Chapter 2: The History Begins
Chapter 3: Bark Painting and the Emergence of Yolngu Fine Art
Chapter 4: Dialogue and Change

Section 2: Engaging with Art History
Chapter 5: Visuality and Representation in Yolngu Art
Chapter 6: Style and Meaning: Abelam Art through Yolngu Eyes
Chapter 7: Art Theory and Art Discourse Across Cultures

Section 3: Yolngu Art and the Chimera of Fine Art
Chapter 8: Placing Indigenous Art in the Gallery
Chapter 9: Conclusion