Native narratives

How an Aboriginal Australian artist is retelling the story of his people, and bringing their traditional practices into the contemporary art world

- VAISHALI DAR

AUSTRALIAN ARTIST DARRELL Sibosado's use of visual language is quite unique, something that most people in the rest of the world may not be familiar with. "Rock art, carvings and etchings are our written language. Storytelling, song and dance are our records. We retain, record and pass information through the various art forms," says Sibosado, who belongs to the Aboriginal Bard tribe from Lombadina on the Dampier Peninsula of Kimberley coast in Western Australia.

His works are part of an exclusive preview by N Smith Gallery, Australia, at the ongoing India Art Fair 2025 in New Delhi.

Sibosado, however, says it's just another language, another way of seeing, and retelling the story of his people and their culture. "I just use current, more widely familiar media and materials to tell it," he adds.