2020 IB Extended Essays

in attempting to view this culture through a sort of tribal construct. Yet, the present understanding of Indigenous art places high value on the experience of people of mixed heritage, exploring culture as a living, ongoing continuum which was evident in the artworks discussed. We see many artists recreating colonial pasts, exposing truths and blatantly describing the emotional trauma which has been and continues to be forced upon Indigenous peoples and the future generations.

Many contemporary Indigenous artists express stories from their ancestral lineage

within their artworks which may have the ability to transform an individual’s

generational suffering and hurt into a sense of pride and dignity. Describing one’s

cultural knowledge through a visual narrative creates a co-active way of confronting misconceptions that have been posed by history. Unlike philosophy, art proposes a more subjective perspective on reality which an audience can encounter and use within their psyche as a force to move towards a more positive future. As historically pigments and symbols have existed as a language for Indigenous communities, visual cues in contemporary artworks continue to evoke emotions and re-surface dispositions for a First Nations and wider audience. In identifying the familiar colours and icons that represent people, country or incidents, those emotions which are often unhinged in those who have been disposed to intergenerational trauma are regulated. For a culture that is traditionally entrenched in paintings and sculptural pieces as a foundation for communication, art provides scope beyond the predisposed obstacles that prevail for Aboriginal communities like alcohol abuse, mental illness and family violence. For the First Nation peoples, healing the trauma of past events that are