Donna Leslie, a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at The University of Melbourne, sets out to demonstrate how Aboriginal art has questioned the 'assimilationist’ policies which prevailed in Australia from the 1930s to the 1970s. Her rigorous and sustained argument, is supported by an impressive array of important visual images. The book is a rare presentation of aspects of the history of Aboriginal art from an Aboriginal perspective, and provides fresh ways of understanding Aboriginal experience.

While the author acknowledges the problems faced by Aboriginal peoples, particularly those associated with the former policy of assimilation, her message is positive and encourages a deepening understanding of Aboriginal art, culture and peoples in the spirit of reconciliation. Moreover, she addresses the development of Aboriginal art in the modern Australian city, as well as in the more traditional environment of the land.