Artist Profiles

Artist Profiles of Aboriginal Artists are very difficult to acquire or keep current.

Many of the artists have multiple names and travel extensively throughout Australia making them very hard to locate.

This extensive travel is called the 'walk about' as in history prior to the Toyota for thousands of years they walked where ever they wanted to go.

They have extended family relationships which are hard for non Aboriginal people to understand along with cultural obligations to fulfil at various times of the year.

When people die most of the family and the extended family will come together for several days of morning ceremonies often travelling hundreds of kilometres and often this means the children miss a lot of school making integration back into the school program difficult.

The Federal Government often supplies grants of financial assistance to families to help them come together at these times.

Many of the female artists may have several names collected as they travel and make new connections with a man who also may be travelling.

They may take up his name while living with him and as they part company and another is met yet acquire another name for a while.

We have some artist’s paintings that have several names and try to list them in our gallery by the most commonly used name.

Many Aboriginal people also have traditional names and names given them by station owners or religious organizations which they may use from time to time.