The History and Repercussions of Western Desert Art

No indigenous art movement has emerged more spectacularly than Western Desrt art onto the global stage of contemporary art. This project spans the thirty year history of the founding group of Western Desert artists from the Papunya Tula Artists company and their followers, spanning the length and breadth of the desert region. Separate but interrelated studies will focus on the artists comprising the Papunya Tula Artists company, the wider history of Western Desert art, and the indigenous rights issues raised by appropriation of Aboriginal art imageries by commercial and nationalistic interests and the artists' defence of their cultural responsibilities.