The Role of the Scholar in Research into Indigenous Art

The article raises some pertinent questions about how works of art challenge our common or preconceived conceptions of our surroundings and ourselves, and asks us to start reconsidering them afresh. I draw on examples of both indigenous and non-indigenous contemporary art in Europe. Two questions provide a good starting point. What are the requirements the critic and scholar on indigenous art should comply with, and how should fundamental ethical problems be handled within the broad contexts of contemporary art? Most of the issues raised here are relevant to all humans, some, however, are specifically and radically linked to indigenous peoples’ interests and struggle for self-government.