καιρός remembered

Clay art

Unlike the marvellous creations of the termite or the crab, which we have been able to admire in the posts over the past two weeks, human creations can sometimes be called art. This is due to humanity’s ability to think, to reflect on itself and the world. Human creative works are, to a greater or lesser extent – but always to some degree – the result of reflection, of a conscious activity of the mind. And that is what distinguishes them from the works of animals. We may find the latter just as beautiful or even more so, but that is irrelevant, since this judgement, too, stems from the human mind.

In this week’s photographs, we see an Aboriginal artist from Arnhem Land hard at work creating a bark painting. We can see stones in various colours which he uses to make his ochre paint in red, yellow and white – colours so characteristic of bark paintings from Arnhem Land. The animals he has painted on the tree bark reflect the past of his ancestors, and more specifically, the past of his clan’s ancestors. His name is Glen Namundja and he is a renowned artist from Oenpelli (Gunbalanya) in north-western Arnhem Land. You can read more about him here.

Photos of the week: Bark painting by Glen Namundja, Injalak Arts, Oenpelli, Arnhem Land, Australia 2013