Many Indigenous communities have a unique relationship between art and healing in which rather than being separate, art is integrated within all aspects of life and valued for its social and religious significance, not just its visual appeal. Within Indigenous communities healers and artists are viewed in a similar way. Their role demands a level of respect, but it is not necessarily an independent occupation: to be a healer, or artist, is to participate and assist in the health and well-being of the community.
This exhibition showcases works from the Curtin University of Technology Art Collection, the private collection of Dr Jo Lagerberg and Stephen Swift and works on Loan from Dr Ian Bernadt, that reflect the relationship between traditional Indigenous healing techniques and art practices within Indigenous communities across the Western half of Australia.
Drawn together by their visual portrayal of land and spiritual well-being the works in the exhibition represent the diversity of Indigenous culture. Artists working within cities and in remote communities throughout the western half of the country acknowledge the continuity of connection that simultaneously embodies a respect for the past whilst containing a vision for the future.
