With recognition for Aboriginal art came admiration and appropriation. During the late 19th century for example, the boomerang was adopted as an iconic symbol of Australian identity. In the 1920s artist Margaret Preston advocated the use of Aboriginal designs as the basis for a distinctively Australian art style. Coinciding with the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, a wave of 'Aboriginal inspired' designs flooded the fashion and design industry in response to a growing tourist market.

The boom in Aboriginal art since the 1970s, and its increasing visibility in exhibitions and reproductions, spawned an 'imitations industry' deliberately aimed at the commercial exploitation of Aboriginal imagery. Such appropriation fails to acknowledge the intellectual property rights of Indigenous people and the custodial responsibilities transmitted with designs.

Art discourses

The borrowing and appropriation of Aboriginal motifs has a complex history and raises many contentious issues for the Australian art world.

Taking a broad view, Morphy argues that influence and borrowing between artists concerns both the rights of artists and their freedom to enter art discourses. This must take into account both the interests of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal artists.

Non-Indigenous artists, like Margaret Preston, have been praised for their use of Aboriginal designs and techniques yet Aboriginal artists using western inspirations have been criticised. Albert Namatjira, for example, was condemned as inauthentic when he made use of western imagery, styles and techniques in his watercolour landscapes.

There is now growing acknowledgement that the same protocols that govern permission to use designs within Aboriginal communities operate in the wider community. For example, urban Aboriginal artist Lin Onus established a close relationship with the Maningrida community in Arnhem Land and was given rights to rarrk designs through his close connections with senior artist Jack Wunuwun; (see Morphy, Illustration 258, Lin Onus, Portrait of Jack Wunuwun, 1988).

Convergence and re-appropriation

Even more complex issues emerge as contemporary Aboriginal art has entered the global art world and become part of a wider art discourse.

In a spirit of cultural convergence the non-Aboriginal artist Tim Johnson has worked extensively in collaboration with Indigenous artists. The ironic pastiche of Latvian born Imants Tillers is more problematic. In The Nine Shots (1985) (Morphy, Illustration 250) Tillers juxtaposes motifs drawn from the work of German artist George Baselitz with Michael Nelson Tjakamarra's Five Dreamings (1984).

Johnson: Copyrites

In the Copyrites exhibition, sociologist Vivien Johnson placed original works by Aboriginal artists alongside infringing commercial copies to highlight the cultural offence to Aboriginal artists and their culture.

Originally Aboriginal artists were unaware of the infringements taking place. They had intended their art as a means of educating the wider community about Aboriginal values. Yirrikala elder, Wandjuk Marika, as Chairman of the Aboriginal Arts Board, was one of the first to become aware of the copyright infringements that had been taking place. Opening the campaign for the copyright protection for Aborigines designs Wanduk Marika said:

Some time ago I happened to see a tea-towel with one of my paintings represented on it; this was one of the stories that my father had given to me and no-one else amongst my people would have painted it without permission. I was deeply upset and for many years I have been unable to paint. It was then that I realised that I and my fellow artists needed some sort of protection (Johnson, p. 11).

 

West: Eye of the storm...

In 1996 an accusation of fraud was levelled against Kathleen Petyarre, winner of the first prize in the 14th Telstra Art Award for her work Storm in Atnangkere Country II. (pdf)

Ultimately the ensuing enquiry established that the work was an 'authentic' Petyarre (West, p. 42). Within an Aboriginal system of knowledge shared custodial obligations for designs means that Aboriginal people may work collaboratively but this does not call into question the authenticity of the work.

Copyright detective

Would you like to be a 'copyright detective'?

Walk around your house, visit your local shopping centre and observe the media. Look for objects and images decorated with Aboriginal designs.