... they use conventional designs and symbols. These designs when applied to any surface, whether it is on the body of a person taking part in a ceremony or on a shield, have the power to transform the object to one with religious significance and power. Through the use of ancestrally inherited designs, artists continue their connections to country. Body decoration using ancestral designs is an important part of many ceremonies. In central Australia inherited designs are painted onto the face and body using ochres ground to a paste with water and applied in stripes or circles. The modern paintings of the Central and Western Desert are based on these designs.While the most commonly used symbols are relatively simple, they can be used in elaborate combinations to tell more complex stories. As well as its essential spiritual and symbolic character, Aboriginal art increasingly has a social and political dimension. Galarrwuy Yunupingu, ...

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