Purchasing Aboriginal art is a joy. Getting it home and standing there gazing at it, wondering where on earth it’s meant to go, is a bit more challenging. It’s not always a case of finding an empty spot on the wall. You can’t just find a place where there’s space. Aboriginal art has character and given its heritage and importance, it actually demands a bit more respect than to just slap it up wherever.

But in the good news department, once you know what makes Aboriginal art look good it becomes a no-brainer where to place it. You simply need to acknowledge its strengths—coloring, composition, the way light hits it.

Aboriginal Art Needs Proper Light

Aboriginal art works in the right light. Color schemes, patterns, ochres and earth tones are all enhanced by light. They are also made worse by bad light.

Take natural light for example. You want as much as possible, but position the art where it will get the light without getting blasted. Direct sunlight is great for exposure but bad for fading.

Same goes for artificial light. Positioning Aboriginal art in a corner away from direct light makes it look shadowy and sad instead of vibrant. Warm light bulbs work better with natural earth tones anyway. Cool white light makes everything look washed out.

Picture lights and spotlighting work well for Aboriginal art but make sure the angles avoid glare for optimum viewing.

Pick the Right Room for Your Aboriginal Art

From a practical perspective, living rooms seem like the best choice. They have a focal wall where people tend to look anyway and the wall opposite your main seating area works perfectly for something you’ll actually see and appreciate instead of it becoming background noise.

However, Aboriginal art works almost anywhere. It’s one of those things that makes you appreciate something different every time you see it.

Most collections by sources like Artlandish demonstrate spaces and places where Aboriginal art works because it transcends boundaries from the more formal feel of a dining room to the warmth of a corner reading nook.

As an example, dining rooms are great for this type of art because you have an audience over meals and lighting is always down to an art (no pun intended). Not only that but positioning something so special during family dinners or mealtimes makes sense. The more formal setting however complements these pieces which have their own measure of formality.

In an entry or hallway, something striking immediately says something about you and your home. With long walls come specific collections that work better for horizontal than vertical positioning without making people feel cramped.

Ba brooms give a unique feel and appeal from personal interest viewed almost in solitude with their useful private space appeal.

Get Your Distance

People doubt they’ve got this placement right but it’s probably the easiest thing to do at eye level. 

Detailed dot paintings need proximity where people can actually get close to see the intricate details. Putting it across from a couch makes perfect sense as something which will be appreciated instead of fading into the background.

Finding something bigger and bolder requires distance—awe in its purest form.

Think about it. There are big pieces and small intricate ones which require looking at from different perspectives. 

The old saying about height for placement at 57 inches from the ground for a center measure still applies but it’s relative to your own height and ceiling height found in whatever room you choose.

It’s ok to get comfortable with viewing big pieces up close and small pieces from farther away after you’ve considered perspective length and depth.

Create Good Placement

Whatever’s around your Aboriginal art may be just as important as where you put them on your walls. These are pieces with enough visual strength to stand alone so cramming them in with lots of other bits and pieces isn’t ideal.

Paint choices make a difference too as white or off white walls with softer colorings make for better appreciation of earth toned colors but darker walls work too. It creates a unique glow of dark charcoal, navy blue or deep greens against these more muted yet bold colors. 

What you don’t want is a light beige or tan which is too close to the natural palette Aboriginal art uses especially if you’ve chosen that space for something so special.

What’s around them means something too. 

Something beautiful above a cluttered space gets lost. Consider the space around your Aboriginal art something which doesn’t have to be minimalist but intentional. Let it breathe.

Avoid These Simple Mistakes

Hanging art across from bright windows is not good placement albeit it seems like a good idea to give it good light. But it gets backlit during good sunny days which renders some great detailed work boringly faded by backlighted shadows.

It also gets sun exposure which isn’t good in the long term.

Bathrooms and kitchens entice good placement because of limited wall space but steam and humidity ruin good pieces in the long run. Something so authentic gets washed out with temperature extremes and cooking dirt over time.

Hiding them away in corners where no one sees them doesn’t do anyone any good. These pieces have stories to tell which demand attention yet so much fussing over little things doesn’t help either 

Wherever you put Aboriginal art must be unique in its special talents by integrating with family warmth and nearby friends at least upon occasion in an effort to make things more meaningful.

Consideration

Think about what you do in each room before placement as well. Rooms used for quiet reflection or ones where people tend to stay put are best. Where are you sitting while you read a book or waiting for someone as they get dressed?

Those are good spots because people pass through areas quickly where they’re often rushing on their way somewhere else.

Aboriginal artwork is effectively placed when it’s inevitable people will take the time to stop and appreciate what’s before them.

It looks like it’s meant to be there when it works after it’s been considered beforehand. Rooms feel complete when they’re missing nothing, just like crazy collage cut outs without rhyme or reason aren’t needed.

Aboriginal art is meaningful and helpful in person and in your home if you put it in the right place.