Richard Bell (artist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard Bell
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| Born | December 13, 1953 Charleville, Queensland, Australia
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| Nationality | Australian |
| Known for | Painting, contemporary Indigenous Australian art |
| Awards | National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award |
Richard Bell (born 13 December 1953) is an important Aboriginal Australian artist. He is also a political activist who uses his art to share strong messages. He helped start a group called proppaNOW, which is an Aboriginal art collective in Brisbane.
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About Richard Bell
Richard Bell was born in 1953 in Charleville, Queensland. He is a Kamilaroi man, which is an Aboriginal nation from Australia.
When he was younger, in the 1970s, he was involved in political actions in Redfern, Sydney. These actions were about getting more rights and self-rule for Aboriginal people. His art still shows these important ideas today.
What Kind of Art Does He Make?
Richard Bell uses many different ways to create his art. He makes paintings, video art, and large installations. He also creates text art and performance art, where he acts out ideas.
His art often talks about issues important to Indigenous people. He explores how colonialism (when one country takes control of another) has affected Aboriginal people in Australia. He also looks at identity and the special challenges around making Aboriginal art.
His Art Career Highlights
In 2003, Richard Bell helped create the Indigenous art group proppaNOW. Other artists like Jennifer Herd, Vernon Ah Kee, and Fiona Foley were also part of this group. In the same year, his painting called Scientia E Metaphysica (Bell's Theorem) became very well known.
In 2011, Richard Bell was interviewed for the State Library of Queensland. He talked about how his art developed and about winning the NATSIAA award. He also discussed the proppaNOW artist group.
In 2013, he hosted an eight-episode TV show called Colour Theory on National Indigenous Television. His self-portrait was chosen as a finalist for the 2015 Archibald Prize. In 2022, he created new paintings and an installation for a big art show in Germany called documenta 15.
Important Artworks
Bell's Theorem (2003)
Richard Bell became widely known after his large painting, Scientia E Metaphysica (Bell's Theorem), won the 2003 Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA). This painting famously included the words "Aboriginal art. It's a white thing". In a statement that went with the artwork, Bell highlighted unfairness that had been present in the Aboriginal art world for a long time.
Pay the Rent / Embassy (2013)
One of Bell's famous works is called Pay the Rent, also known as Embassy. It is a copy of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, which is a protest site in Canberra. This artwork was first shown in Melbourne in 2013.
In 2022, Pay the Rent was shown in Kassel, Germany, for Documenta fifteen. Bell explains that this artwork shows how much money the Australian Government owes Aboriginal people. He says this is "just for the rent of the place".
Inside the Embassy tent, visitors can see videos and old documents. It's also a place for public talks, performances, and casual chats. This artwork has traveled around the world, helping people talk about race and politics in different places.
Pay the Rent has been set up at Performa 15 in New York City and at the 2019 Venice Biennale. In mid-2022, it was placed in front of a museum in Kassel, Germany, as part of the Documenta fifteen exhibition.
In October 2022, Pay the Rent / Embassy was shown in Adelaide at the Art Gallery of South Australia. It included film screenings and talks as part of the Adelaide Film Festival. In May and June 2023, the installation was at the Tate Modern museum in London.
In June 2024, Pay the Rent and Embassy were part of the RISING: festival in Melbourne. The Embassy tent was set up in Federation Square. It was surrounded by painted protest signs, just like the original Aboriginal Tent Embassy. Inside the tent, Bell's films, Bell’s Theorem (2022) and No Tin Shack (2022), were shown. The documentary film Ningla A-Na was also screened. The Pay the Rent artwork was also displayed at the State Library Victoria.
Awards Richard Bell Has Won
- 2003: Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award for his painting Scientia E Metaphysica (Bell's Theorem)
Exhibitions
Richard Bell's art has been shown in many important art exhibitions.
Group Exhibitions
His work has been part of group shows like:
- 1992, 2008 and 2016: Biennale of Sydney
- 2006: Positivity at the Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane
- 2007: The first National Indigenous Art Triennial at the National Gallery of Australia
- 2015: The 8th Asia Pacific Triennial at QAGOMA
- 2022: documenta 15 in Kassel, Germany, where he worked with other Indigenous artists and groups.
- 2024: RISING: festival, Melbourne
Solo Exhibitions
He has also had his own art shows, including:
- 2021: His first big solo show at Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
- June 2022: His first major European solo show at the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. For this show, Bell wrote a new statement called "Contemporary art. It's a white thing."
- 2022: An exhibition and a special artwork for the Castello di Rivoli in Turin, Italy. This artwork was a copy of the small house he grew up in near Charleville. Local authorities tore down his original home in 1967.
Where You Can See His Art
Richard Bell's self-portrait, Me, is at the University of Queensland's art museum. Other artworks by him are held in many collections, including:
