Indigenous frames of reference: translating the past into a politics of the future
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posted on 2024-10-30, 16:19authored byOlivia Guntarik
Rusty Peters is an Aboriginal artist, from the Jirrawun ethnic group in the East Kimberly region of northern Australia, known for the controversial political commentary he expresses in his art. His painting, Gamerre: What's This Museum?, demonstrates potently the contradictions between western and indigenous knowledge systems. As a multilayered work, the painting reminds us that European models of art collecting and display have not always recognised indigenous ways of knowing. The work also points to the important potential of exhibition material to shape thinking. In today's climate of change, what is the way forward for museums in representing indigenous history, culture and identity? My paper will respond to this question by drawing from indigenous worldviews and a range of scholarship (including Malaysian) to critically reflect on the possibilities and political implications of representing indigenous peoples in contemporary museums.