The Symbolic Significance of Aboriginal Ceramics and its Reflection on Contemporary Australian Ceramics

Abstract

Summary:

Art is considered a branch of knowledge and science, and a means of expressing various human emotions, in addition to conveying the customs, traditions, and beliefs of peoples. This is clearly evident in the symbolic significance of its artistic productions. Therefore, art is a necessity of life, possessing the ability to interact with the general development of humanity from ancient times to our present era, especially in the field of plastic arts.

Since antiquity, humans have used symbols to express their fears, desires, ambitions, and dreams, whether overt or latent in the corners of the human psyche, through various methods and styles. Instinct was the driving force behind the symbols of ancient humans, propelled by hidden feelings and emotions in the subconscious that moved them to create.

This reflects our current research problem, which is based on the questions: Are there symbolic significances in Aboriginal ceramics? And what are their reflections on contemporary Australian ceramics?

The importance of this research lies in the light it sheds on the symbolic significance of Aboriginal ceramics. This is within the research objective of identifying the symbolic significance in these ceramics and their reflection on contemporary Australian ceramics. The study is defined by the following limits:

·        Thematic Limits: (vases, artifacts)

·        Spatial Limits: Ceramics in Australia

·        Temporal Limits: (2002-2014)

The research is structured within a theoretical framework as follows:

First Axis: * The Concept of Significance and its Mechanisms. *The Concept of Symbolism and its Mechanisms.Second Axis: The Intellectual Foundations of Aboriginal Art. Third Axis: Contemporary Ceramics in Australia (Folk and Contemporary).