Indigenous Australians have been creating art for over 40,000 years, making their rock art the world’s oldest continuous artistic tradition. But these works aren’t just beautiful images on stone. They’re sacred, living connections to land, ancestors, and community.
In this episode of Forgotten Art History, we explore:
* What Indigenous Australian rock art is and how it’s created
* The deep symbolism behind motifs like hand stencils, animals, and ancestral beings
* How layers of paintings across thousands of years show cultural continuity
* Famous sites like Kakadu nad Gwion Gwion and what makes them unique
* The ongoing spiritual importance of rock art today
By the end of this episode, you’ll see why Indigenous Australian rock art isn’t just ancient history, it’s a vibrant, living tradition that continues to inspire and connect people today.
🎧 Tune in and discover how the world’s oldest art is still alive and thriving.
Sources
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352273049_Australian_Indigenous_Ochres_Use_Sourcing_and_Exchange
https://japingkaaboriginalart.com/articles/australian-aboriginal-ochre-painting/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/the-Dreaming-Australian-Aboriginal-mythology
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Australian_art
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabarnmung
https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/australia-s-oldest-known-aboriginal-rock-paintings
https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/first-rock-art
The Academy, the Market and the Art Museums in the Repositioning of Australian
Aboriginal Art
Author(s): David Dolan
Categories of ‘Old’ and ‘New’ in Western Arnhem Land Bark Painting
Chapter Author(s): Luke Taylor
Book Title: Long History, Deep Time
Book Subtitle: Deepening Histories of Place
Book Author(s): Ann McGrath and Mary Anne Jebb
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit accessiblearthistory.substack.com/subscribe