Since commencing bark painting in the late 1970s John Mawurndjul’s painting career spans almost 40 years.  His work led the way in changing perceptions about how Aboriginal visual traditions translate into contemporary art.  The artist’s constant aesthetic innovations stimulated audiences to see beyond the primitive stereotype and appreciate a creative genius who develops new methods for communicating with a global audience.

With contemporary bark painting, the medium is not the message.  Mawurndjul draws on a longstanding Aboriginal tradition of painting ochre images on bark taken from trees grown in northern Australian wetlands.  But he now uses this medium to communicate with modern audiences, and the message in Ancestors at M...