New Aboriginal Rock Art Style Discovered in Australia’s Kimberley Region!
A fascinating new discovery in the Kimberley region of north-east Australia is changing how we understand ancient Aboriginal rock art. A team led by Dr. Ana Paula Motta, working alongside the Balanggarra Aboriginal Corporation, has identified a previously undocumented style of rock art. Published in Australian Archaeology, the research introduces what they’re calling “Linear Naturalistic Figures” (LNF)—a fresh addition to the established timeline of Kimberley rock art.
For years, many regional animal images had been grouped under a broad category known as the Irregular Infill Animal Period (IIAP), known for its energetic, naturalistic portrayals of animals like kangaroos and wallabies. These were thought to be from the Pleistocene era. But Dr. Motta and her team started noticing patterns that didn’t quite match—some of these figures had a much simpler style.
The newly defined LNF artworks are marked by bold outlines and simplified, static animal forms—often macropods like kangaroos—without the intricate interior patterns seen in older styles. Instead of action-packed poses, these animals are shown in calm, profile views. After combing through more than 1,100 archaeological sites (151 of them featuring rock art), the researchers found 98 motifs at 22 different sites that shared this distinctive look.
Photo Credit: Motta et al., Australian Archaeology (2025) / CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
What really sets the LNF style apart is where it's found. These images often appear layered on top of older rock art styles like the Gwion (dated between 14,000–12,000 years ago) and Static Polychrome (12,000–9,000 years ago), but beneath or alongside Wanjina art, which dates back about 5,000 years. That suggests LNF art fits somewhere in the middle—placing it in the mid-to-late Holocene period.
According to the study, this shift in artistic style reflects a bigger cultural change. After centuries of highly stylized human figures, the renewed focus on animals might signal a shift in how people related to their environment and spiritual world. It’s more than just a new art style—it might represent a new worldview.
Crucially, this research was done in collaboration with the Balanggarra Aboriginal Corporation, ensuring that Aboriginal knowledge and cultural perspectives were central to interpreting the findings. In Aboriginal tradition, animals often have deep totemic connections to people and places. The presence of these animals in LNF art may hint at growing social and territorial identities, as well as spiritual renewal.
This study not only reclassifies previously misunderstood artwork but also bridges Western archaeology with Indigenous knowledge. It adds a rich new chapter to Australia’s cultural history—and opens the door for future research into how art reflected evolving social, environmental, and spiritual landscapes over time.