The winner of the 20th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award has a point when he says the Aboriginal art industry is " ... controlled by white people ... the dealers, the buyers, the gallery owners. It's all white and is presented from their perspective -- and then they have the cheek to attach the spirituality of the Aboriginal people to it."
Aboriginal can be stunningly beautiful, but one does see it appropriated by all sorts of groups and entities. Take a look, for example, at the logo of Australian Airlines, and yet I didn't see a single Aboriginal member of staff on the ground or in the air last month when I flew the airline. That logo looks like a total rip-off of Aboriginal art and appears to be conveying the message that somehow the airline is in touch with that side of Australia ... or am I giving them too much credit? Either way, I think the winner of the abovementioned award has a right to complain.
Posted by Joe at August 17, 2003 10:18 PMYeah, but do you think the aboriginies animated it, huh, eh??
Posted by: DJ at August 18, 2003 04:06 AMOf course you wouldn't have heard me complaining if it was anmiated on the tail of the plane. :+)
Posted by: Joe at August 18, 2003 06:18 AM