Beauty flows from the Aboriginal painters so freely as if possessed by the magic of the land they worship. To me, the color & simplicity of their artwork is seductive beyond any modern art of more "civilised" cultures.
Yet hidden behind these beautiful creations is darkness. Similar to the Native Americans, the Aboriginal communities have not adapted to the western ways inflicted onto them. THey are suffering from severe substance abuse, poverty & are almost completely removed from society.
While it might seem that Aboriginals are not a very advanced people, their simple perspective on the world is in a way far more advanced than the institutions that define us. Aboriginals are a people of the land: they belong to the land, the land doesn't belong to them. The concept of ownership doesn't exist to them & anything earned is shared amongst the tribe.That being said you can see why it would be hard to assimilate to western ideals. Standing one foot in society & one foot out, the Aboriginals are slowly loosing touch with their own culture while being defeated by ours.
As i have started to learn more about this situation (and taking a passionate interest in their artwork), someone suggested I see the film Samson & Delilah. Wow. I highly recommend it. There is hardly any dialogue (which in normal circumstances would instantly turn me off) but somehow you are still moved beyond expectation. It was written & directed by an Aboriginal & none of the cast had previously acted.
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