Erzählte Welt

The contemporary art of Australian First Nations artists is diverse, dynamic, multi-layered, and inspired by thousands of narratives unknown in Germany, but also shaped by two centuries of discrimination. This book presents numerous artworks as specific examples to demonstrate the connections between land, cosmos, the rules of social coexistence, nonlinear notions of time, transformations of being, the Indigenous conception of truth, and the vibrant socio-political culture that make Australian First Nations art unique.

Artists on a continent as large as Europe have relentlessly defended their cultural integrity while inventing dozens of art movements to show their vision of the world. From the suburbs of Sydney to Arnhem Land 3,800 km away, they have fought for their right to have their art recognized as contemporary – and they have won. Every major art museum in Australia has been collecting their work for decades, and many exhibitions have attracted international attention. This modern art is still rarely found in German art museums, but it can no longer be ignored.

This book is the first in German since 1993 to provide an overview of indigenous art, its various directions, its history of creation and recognition, and to analyze a number of images.