Australian Aboriginal Art ~ The true value
🌟💖Mirree💫🌸 Louise Bayliss💖🐾🌟
Professional Contemporary Aboriginal Artist
I just wanted to continue on from the last discussion in relation to Traditional versus Contemporary Aboriginal Art because there is a lot of exploitation that goes on in relation to Aboriginal Art.
I’d like to now go deeper into this discussion.
Remember I touched briefly on this in the 1st discussion on the topic how little goes back to the Artist because without the proper education, the Artists are unaware that their works are been sold for thousands of dollars in the major high end Galleries across Australia and in other cases within the International Market. (With 50% and even less than that are educated enough to know)
I was asked to write the “Cultural Arts” Diploma for the Canberra Institute of Technology back in 2009 but the funding wasn’t there and it was a lot of work on my part without getting paid for such a task.
Because it isn’t until more education has been given can Aboriginal Artists learn how to properly make their works known in value to contribute their knowledge and high creativity to the broader community and scheme of things. For example” “The Rainbow Serpent” is a typical & powerful symbol of my tribal area representing the Creation of nature, river ways, mountains and pathways. The sacred maps within country that bring colour, learning, healing and the coming together of ideas and knowledge to learn as you grow older in order to take responsibility to earn the spiritual knowledge that is imparted through proper means via ceremonies.
It cannot be denied the high worth of Aboriginal Art in actual fact in 2007 Aboriginal Art hit a record, selling the most expensive piece of Aboriginal Art sold in Australia for 2.4 million dollars. Lets face it Aboriginal Art is not for the faint hearted, it is in actual fact a powerful & luxury item, many people don’t know how important & valuable Aboriginal Art is to Australia’s commodity. Aboriginal Art is a highly prized possession containing the heart of Australia’s country and is on the threshold of the future, I believe if the government continues to make less Aboriginal reforms than this will result in an increase in the value of Aboriginal Art because there will be less Art coming out of these regions due to the lack of development & closure of hundreds of communities. I really hope this doesn’t go ahead and the government changes hands swiftly & I dare not read of any such in the Newspapers, radio or television so that I can continue on in my optimistic approach to life & in highest of spirits that this will be beaten.
And now I’d like to conclude on a lighter note after that…a poem from a friend of mine written about me and my paintings….
*~FOR YOU~*
My skin is white, but inside is the colour of my people. My heart knows the difference, my head hurts that the colours won't blend. My blood is red when I am hurt. I scream for peace, for love, for pain of me and my people. Beauty flows through me, I create my art with the vibration of my Aboriginal blood. I know who I am.
Through whatever challenge and tribulations I will continue to hold within the palm of my own hands the Dreamings of my country and people before me, showing everything of this for all to see within my own paintings. And together we will continue on into the future as a proud Aboriginal Woman…
I hope you all enjoyed this little discussion and always I welcome your comments, thoughts, questions and well whatever you’d like to share really.
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8yLIKE YOU INTRODUCTION WORDING HOW NICE AND BUT QUIT FUNNY My skin is white, but inside is the color of my people. My heart knows the difference, my head hurts that the colors won't blend. My blood is red when I am hurt. I scream for peace, for love, for pain of me and my people. Beauty flows through me, I create my art with the vibration of my Aboriginal blood. I know who I am.
Director at asart
8yMirree, continued..... Today, most Aboriginal artists know exactly what their work commands. The Community centres are not ignorant. There is the internet and believe me, people talk. Under Rudd and Gillard, due to their interference particularly in SMSF's, the value of Australian Aboriginal art plummeted. Added to that a GFC, the market has certainly not recovered. The fact also is that many of the elder Aboriginal artists are no longer painting or no longer with us. Also, many sacred images were never allowed to be painted or displayed and these are now still kept within families. The value of Aboriginal art to the Australian economy is not significant. In 2007, it was estimated at around $400 million....the turnover of one major Christies or Sothebys auction today. I would doubt that the market would now have recovered to $300 million. So why have I written all of this? Really Mirree, for anyone involved in the Aboriginal Art world, we must start to speak in positive terms based on fact, not emotion or heresay. There are some wonderful Aboriginal artists working today and producing significant work, but as in the general art world, the majority are not. There has to be a level of professionalism within the market where both artists and dealers, their representatives, are equally respected. This I feel is being achieved with many relationships. There also has to be responsibility for speaking frankly and factually.
Director at asart
8yMirree, the Aboriginal art world has changed a lot since 2009 and certainly since the 1980's and 1990's when there were a number of dealers who did go into the outback and purchase art at very low prices. This has been well documented and is not news nor actually the state of affairs today. Most Aboriginal art in the outback goes through Community Art Centres, as you would be aware. The Centre decides on pricing. Certainly, there are artists who do work for dealers directly, but these dealers are more on the periphery of the business side of art today. Next, you mention 50% being returned to the artists as being a terrible situation. Well, the reality of the situation with ANY art is that if you sell it at auction, you will get approximately 50% less than the buyer was prepared to pay: 25% buyer + 25% seller commissions, plus insurance plus illustration fees pull the amount closer to 60%. At some auctions now its 30% each way. But that said, lets look at retail galleries. How much do you think they actually make as profit on a work if they take 50% commission? Have you factored in rent, power, insurance, transport, staffing, tax, etc? The fact is that most galleries are lucky to make 10% nett. Thats why they are closing at such a rate. Lets look at the reality of the situation then. There is a vast amount of Aboriginal art that, as art, just isn't that good. Thats why Sunday auctions are full of it selling from $20 up. Many Aboriginal art galleries in Australia look like junk shops with canvas' piled one on top of each other and walls packed to the ceiling. This doesn't improve the image of Aboriginal art. There has to be a level of professionalism within the market where both artists and dealers, their representatives, are equally respected. This I feel is being achieved with many relationships. There also has to be responsibility for speaking frankly and factually.