Category Cultural Ethics & Buying Guide

Where the line sits between appreciating Aboriginal art and appropriating it: the framework, real cases (Urban Outfitters, After Life), the grey areas around dot painting and language, and six questions to ask before you create or buy.

Aboriginal art on t-shirts, scarves, mugs and homewares can be respectful, but only when the artist is named, paid fairly, and the work is licensed. Here is the line between appreciation and appropriation.