Indigenous Australian art: an introduction
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- Start Date: 05 Nov 2025End Date: 10 Dec 2025Wed (Daytime): 11:00 - 13:00In PersonFull fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00
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What is the course about?
This course is about the history of how Indigenous Australian artists have created a new art movement in the twentieth century. The art of William Barak, Albert Namatjira, John Mawurndjul, Kaapa Tjampitjinpa, Emily Kam Kngwarray, Gordon Bennett and Fiona Foley (amongst others) will be examined and set within the social, political and legal context of the colonial and post-colonial nation state.
What will we cover?
- The early history of Indigenous artistic modernism in colonial Australia and its relationship with Britain.
- The significance and importance of Arnhem Land and the invention of bark painting.
- Watercolour and later acrylic painting and the development of schools of painting from the 1970s onwards.
- The regional and “Urban” postmodern innovations of artists Gordon Bennett and Fiona Foley.
- Indigenous Australian artists and their contributions to the Venice Biennale.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Have a basic understanding of the history of Indigenous Australian art from the late nineteenth century to the present.
- Identify the significant schools of art which developed in the early and mid-twentieth century and the artists associated with them.
- Identify at least three major Indigenous Australian artists and their key works.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is suitable for all levels.
You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions, demonstrations, hand-outs and health and safety information, and will be invited to take part in group discussion.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
You will be taught in-person with slide presentations and some group discussions. Handouts will be provided by your tutor to support your learning on the course; these handouts will be available online/digitally for download via the college’s Google Classroom. You will be sent an invitation to join the Google Classroom within a week of the course start date.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
You might wish to purchase a notebook for taking notes. You might wish to buy some of the books on any reading list provided.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Indigenous Australian art in the British Museum
Emily Kam Kngwarray at Tate Modern: an introduction.
Arjmand is a teacher and researcher in the fields of contemporary Indigenous Australian art and South Asian art. She has been teaching at City Lit since 2016. She holds Honours degrees in Political Science and Law from the Australian National University and an MA in Art History from SOAS University of London. She was Tutor of Indian art for many years for the Diploma of Asian Art programme at SOAS. In 2024 she was awarded a PhD from SOAS University of London. Her doctoral thesis examined how private galleries in London have represented contemporary Indigenous Australian art over a thiry year period. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy since 2020.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
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Iconography and iconology: secrets of the old masters revealedFull fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00
