Australian Aboriginal Art is the oldest living art tradition in the world, with paintings in rock shelters dating back 20,000 years. The art includes naturalistic paintings of human, plant and animal figures, as well as non-naturalistic or “abstract” designs with concentric circles, “u” shapes, and lines.

Much of Aboriginal art relates to stories of the Dreamtime. This Dreamtime is the Creation Period in Aboriginal belief, when important Ancestral Beings formed the land and created the people, plants and animals. These Ancestral Beings, often depicted in the art, may take human, animal, plant or combined forms, and taught the people their laws and ceremonies. The Dreamtime Stories depicted in their art reveal 20,000 years of history and demonstrate a respect and passion for their inherent culture and land.

Each individual painting tells a story, which represents a particular song/dance/ancestral site/territory and its resources. The paintings tell of their harmony with nature and the importance the Aborigines have placed on ensuring survival without destruction.

Aboriginal Art has no written language and consequently relies on storytelling (through painting, song and dance) to pass Dreamtime stories on, from one generation to another. This further leads to localised styles of art, as throughout the Aboriginal Culture different communities are sharing their own stories/dreams through art. This has created global focus, a greater appreciation of Aboriginal Art and a further understanding of traditional Aboriginal culture. Aboriginal Art has paved the way for a greater understanding of the Australian way of life and has created a thirst for knowledge with which Aborigines can identify and project to the world their very unique and ancient culture.