On the utopianism of painting from remote communities1

Abstract

Some of the first Europeans in Australia speculated that the centre of the continent hid an inland sea surrounded by well-watered plains. In the late twentieth century, this utopian imagination transferred from an imagination of water to one associated with Indigenous Australians. In an era of global cultural traffic, the painting movement from remote Australia constitutes a utopian communication that wants to bring about better relations between Indigenous people and the rest of the world. Despite the many dystopian images of Indigenous communities and the Aboriginal art industry presented by scholars and media alike, here I want to argue that this painting is itself a utopian communication. It is, first, associated with Indigenous communities whose values are contrary to those of Australian capitalism. Historically, utopian fiction and utopian theory has been critical of capitalism. Painting from remote communities continues this utopian tradition, as it represents an alternative way of life. Second, the very act of painting is itself utopian, its communication between cultures staging a means for greater understanding. The Indigenous intervention, then, is one that is both critical of Western society and hopeful for better cultural relations.