Australian culture owes it's origin to the European culture, especially to that of United Kingdom. For years, Australians suffered from 'cultural cringe', believing that anything from the overseas was superior to anything Australian. But with the passage of time, the widened horizon of interaction resulting from the 'global village' concept, has eradicated this feeling. Experimental groups are coming up with radical ideas and tastes, in all fields of arts and they are performing in the global stage. Today, Australian art galleries adorn the streets of London and New York, Australian directors and actors rule supreme in Hollywood and Australian music, be it Jazz or Classical, has great many lovers across the world.
The original form of Australian music was the folk music of the Aborigines, which is now being revived again, with modernized influences. Some of the well-known bands in this respect are the Yothu Yindi's, Black Storm and Colored Stone. The Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA) first did broadcasting of traditional music in the year 1980. The attempt was a very successful one. They have popularized remote communities, such as the Blek Bala Mujik, whose 'walking together' almost became a national anthem after its use in a commercial. Australia has also been home to notable classical composers as well as artists working in popular music genres, such as Rock, Jazz and Electronica. The Little River Band, the Bee Gees, INXS, Midnight Oil are some of the most famous Australian pop music groups. The name of Kylie Minogue stands out in the world of contemporary pop music. Live music is common in the Australian pubs.
In the field of rock carvings and paintings, Australia has its origin, some 30,000 years back. This Aboriginal art has undergone modernization in the last two decades, retaining some of its ancient value. Some of the outstanding figures in the world of arts are Brett Whitely, Sidney Nolan, Arthur Boyd.
In the world of literature too, Australia has some distinct names like Nobel Prize winner Patrick White, Booker prize winners Thomas Keneally and Peter Carey and others like, Tim Winton, Elizabeth Jolley, Helen Garner and Rober Drewe.
As far as glitz and glamour is concerned, Australia can considerably boast of its movie stars and opera artistes. At the beginning of the 20th century, the opera scenario was dominated by Nellie Melba, one of the world's biggest opera stars. Later, in the 1960s, it was Dame Joan Sutherland who attracted the limelight. Australia's history of film production is indeed, long. In fact, the claim goes that the first feature-length film was an Australian production. In the period of late 1960s and 1970s the influx of government funding, led to the development of a new generation of directors and actors who distinctively told Australian stories. However, the golden era of the Australian cinema is the 1980s, with several successful films, ranging from the dark science fiction of Mad Max to the out and out commercial film, Crocodile Dundee. The indigenous film industry continues to produce a reasonable number of films each year, also many US producers have moved productions to Australian studios as they discover a pool of professional talent well below US costs. Some of the well-known Australian directors include Peter Weir, George Miller and Bruce Beresford whereas Nicole Kidman, Mel Gibson and Russel Crowe are among the leading stars.