Paint Up

“Shovel-nose sharks, dingoes, the morning star and rainbows feature in ‘paint-up’; the age-old practice of decorating the bodies of dancers for the corroboree. Amanda Ahern became fascinated with the distinctive body-art designs while working on Mornington Island. With a background in anthropology and visual arts, she approached the local Elders to involve the community in documenting for posterity the dancers’ body-paint designs and their meaning. The result is this first-ever publication to describe in drawings, photographs and stories the unique geography of the Top End and the rich traditions and legends of the Muyinda ancestors. The practice of ‘paint-up’ is an expression of culture rather than art. Each body-paint design is of profound cultural significance, identifying the wearer with country, sacred sites and ancestral groups.” Description from back cover.

Publisher: UQP

Date Published: 2002

Book Condition: Near fine soft cover with minor surface and edge wear to covers and a Mornigton Island Arts sticker on half title page. Otherwise a fine copy internally.

ISBN: 0702232696