James Fox tells the story of Australia’s indigenous culture, the oldest continuous culture anywhere in the world, and the disaster of its contact with the West. He traces how Aboriginal peoples were almost destroyed by the impact of European colonization, but held on to their art to survive, to flourish and ultimately, to share their culture with the world.
James Fox begins by exploring the ancient rock art of Arnhem Land, Northern Australia, depicting fish and animals in an ‘x-ray’ style developed over 8000 years. The arrival of Captain Cook in Botany Bay, he argues, changed everything. Over the following centuries Aboriginal peoples were destroyed or marginalized as the new nation of Australia developed. Yet, in the 20th century, through works such as the watercolour landscapes of Albert Namatjira or the dot painting style of the Western desert, art has enabled Aboriginal people to re-imagine an Australia of their own.
Australia might long have been colonised but now, James Fox argues, Aboriginal people are recolonising it with their imaginations.
