Oenpelli Bark Paintings

About the exhibition
This significant exhibition was organised by the Aboriginal Arts Board (AAB), toured nationally and was accompanied by a substantial book of the same name published by Ure Smith, Sydney in 1979. Established in 1973, the AAB aimed to ‘preserve the cultural heritage and identity of Australian Aboriginal people and to achieve a greater awareness of that cultural identity amongst the wider Australian community. In 1974 the AAB purchased a collection of bark paintings by Gunwinggu artists working at Oenpelli in Western Arnhem Land, and fifty of these works were included in this exhibition. Painted in ochres  and natural pigments and featuring the fine crosshatching typical of the Oenpelli style, the subject matter included animals and birds of the area, plants and vegetation, as well as spirit figures and depictions of ceremony.

Acknowledgements
An Aboriginal Arts Board touring exhibition.

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^{Image: Three people examining an example of X-ray style bark painting from Gunbalanya (Oenpelli), Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, 1 February 1979. Image courtesy of Australian Information Service}