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A new project is assessing the influence of ancient rock art on the modern art of Indigenous peoples in Central Asia and Canada, revealing its importance to reclaiming cultural identities.

"The contemporary re-use of rock art is a growing phenomenon," says author of the research, Professor Andrzej Rozwadowski from Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland. "However, to date, very little attention has been paid to how rock art inspires contemporary Indigenous artists, especially in such little known areas as Siberia or Central Asia."

To remedy this, Professor Rozwadowski is leading the project "Rock Art as a Source of Contemporary Cultural Identity," focusing on the Indigenous artists of Central Asia (covering Siberia & Kazakhstan) and Canada. Professor Rozwadowski interviews and documents the art of Indigenous artists in these regions, exploring how their work was inspired by rock art.

His findings are published in the journal Antiquity. In Siberia and Kazakhstan, Indigenous cultural expression was often suppressed by the Soviet Union. Taking inspiration from rock art now provides Indigenous peoples in post-Soviet regions with a link to their ancestors that was erased during Soviet times, making it a key aspect of reclaiming lost cultural identities.

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