Indigenous Art In Michael's 'Bad Aboriginal Art'

Aboriginal art is widely associated with the primitive and primordial nature of the Australian Indigenous culture. However, as it has become more popular globally, one must consider the authenticity of the Aboriginal art sold on the contemporary market. Eric Michaels essay, ‘Bad Aboriginal Art’ (Michaels, 1988) exposes his concerns with how we define certain art as being genuinely ‘Aboriginal’ and questions what external influences exploit and influence the validity and authenticity of Aboriginal art. The essay summons readers to question what they identify with Australian culture and whether or not White Australians have disordered the meaning of Indigenous art.

In his case study “The case of Bad rock art” (Michaels, 1988) Michaels refers

201) of the Wandjinas rock painting in Western Australia. He explains the bureaucracy that was demonstrated by the local government who were called by Mr. Lorin Bishop, the owner of the cattle station where the Wandjina rock art was situated, who was concerned that the art was ‘deteriorating’. The Federal Minister for Aboriginal affairs hired a group of unemployed workers from Derby to “restore” (Michaels, 1988, p.201) the work.

The young workers first used video and still cameras to record the site and used “housepaint, aquadhere, wood glue and plastic”(Michaels, 1988, p. 201) to paint over it, followed by acrylic paint rather than traditional soluble ochre when mimicking the original designs. Their renewal of the 5000-year-old design was referred to as looking “tea towel kitsch”, (Michaels, 1988, p. 201) contrary to the authentic primordial aesthetic that

Indigenous art is well respected and popular in the global art market and is commonly preconceived as art that is purely primitive, reflective of the primordial nature society associates with the Indigenous culture. However, it is important to be conscious of the impact White Australians have on the identity of Indigenous Australians and their art. In Michaels’ case study “A telling Secret” (Michaels, 1988, p.203) he explores Indigenous identity and the common preconception that society has that Aboriginal art is authentic and primitive, by exposing the external White Australian influences in the industry. He thus challenges his readers to question their prejudgments on what they would classify as legitimate and pure Aboriginal art. Michaels sets out to question whether we determine it on the process of production and circulation or purely by the product (Michaels 1988, p.