contemporary indigenous art
There is no shortage of Indigenous art on the Australian visual art circuit. Its marketplace popularity sees dozens of commercial exhibitions each year, institutions regularly reflect its importance with surveys, or focus on regions or artists. Internationally the stage seems only a little less crowded given a high level of overseas interest. However, the exhibition Native Title Business: Contemporary Indigenous Art stands out from the crowd because its starting point and orientation differ from the majority of other initiatives. For a start it sets out to educate a broad audience about the very complex issue of Native Title-an issue curator Joan G. Winter perceives as widely misrepresented in 150 years of history, the current education system, the media, and through our political leaders. To that end the exhibition's sponsorship from the Bundaberg-based Gurang Land Council is significant.
In this context, the cultural significance of much Indigenous art is instructive in showing how the linkage of individual artworks with the land is integral to and illustrative of the native title business. As Winter acknowledges, 'This is art in the service of art, not art for art's sake, if there is such a thing '. Artistic merit was not the first criteria upon which works were chosen-the cultural , social and historical significance of objects had priority. Winter explained: 'Artworks were chosen for the story they had to tell and some for their aesthetic qualities'. For instance, Fiona Foley's Scar Tree, 2000, relates an incident in which a scar tree (a tree with the bark removed for use as a canoe or shield) was bull-dozed by Hervey Bay City Council. These trees may be used in evidence for native title claims, and