Literature in our Collection
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Morphy, Howard: Becoming Art: Exploring Cross-Cultural Categories, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney 2008, ISBN 9781921410123

Table of Contents        ¦         Cover Text        ¦         Book Review

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations -vii-

Acknowledgements -ix-

Preface -xi-

I Cross-cultural Categories and the Inclusion of Aboriginal Art -1-

1 A Short History of Yolngu Art

2 The History Begins -27-

3 Bark Painting and the Emergence of Yolngu Fine Art -45-

4 Dialogue and Change -69-

II Engaging with Art History

5 Visuality and Representation in Yolngu Art -87-

6 Style and Meaning: Abelam Art through Yolngu Eyes -111-

7 Art Theory and Art Discourse across Cultures -141-

III Yolngu Art and the Chimera of Fine Art

8 Placing Indigenous Art in the Gallery -173-

9 Conclusion -187-

Notes -197-

Bibliography -213-

Index -22-

Cover Text

Thirty years ago Australian Aboriginal art was little more than a footnote to world art. Today, it is considered to be an important contemporary art movement, often promoted as being connected to a deep cultural past. "Becoming Art" provides a new analysis of the shifting cultural and social contexts that surround the production of Aboriginal art. Transcending the boundaries between anthropology and art history, the book draws on arguments from both disciplines to provide a unique interdisciplinary perspective that places the artists themselves at the centre of the argument. Western art history has traditionally regarded Aboriginal art as distanced in time and place. "Becoming Art" uses the recent history of Aboriginal art to challenge some of the presuppositions of western art discourse and western art worlds. It argues for a more cross-cultural perspective on world art history.