Richard Bell (b. 1953, Charleville) lives and works in Brisbane, Australia. He works across a variety of media including painting, installation, performance and video. One of Australia’s most significant artists, Bell’s work explores the complex artistic and political problems of Western, colonial and Indigenous art production.
Richard Bell
He grew out of a generation of Aboriginal activists and has remained committed to the politics of Aboriginal emancipation and self-determination. In 2003 he was the recipient of the Telstra National Aboriginal Art Award, establishing him as an important Australian artistic figure. Bell is represented in most major National and State collections, and has exhibited in a number of solo exhibitions at important institutions in Australia and America. In 2013 he was included in the National Gallery of Canada’s largest show of International Indigenous art, Sakàhan, and at the Fifth Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art. In 2014, Bell’s solo exhibition Embassy opened at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Perth. In 2015, Bell was a finalist in the Archibald Prize, presented a collaborative exhibition of new work with Emory Douglas at Milani Gallery, and exhibited his major work Embassy 2013-ongoing as part of Performa 15, New York City and the 16th Jakarta Biennale, curated by Charles Esche. Bell also premiered a body of new work as part of the Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art’s 8th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Brisbane. In 2016, BELL invites… an exhibition of Bell and work by friends and collaborators opened at the Stedelijk Museum SMBA, Amsterdam. Bell also presented Embassy as part of the 20th Biennale of Sydney, curated by Stephanie Rosenthal, and premiered a new sculptural commission in Sonsbeek 2016 at the Dutch Art Institute in Arnhem, Netherlands. In 2020, Bell had a solo presentation at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney. In 2022 Bell presented major works at documenta fifteen, Kassel, Germany; a solo presentation at the Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Torino, Italy with a solo project conceived as part of ESPRESSIONI CON FRAZIONI and a new body of work for RELINKING at the Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven. In 2023 Bell presented his major work Embassy (2013–ongoing) and PAY THE RENT: UK at Tate Modern, London.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2023 / 2024
- All You Need is Love, Milani Gallery, Brisbane.
2023
- Richard Bell: Bell's Theorem, Rockhampton Museum of Art, Rockhampton
- Richard Bell: Embassy, Tate Modern Turbine Hall, London
- Richard Bell, OSMOS Address, New York
2022
- ESPRESSIONI CON FRAZIONI / FRACTIONAL EXPRESSIONS: Richard Bell(solo project), Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art, Turin, Italy
- Relinking: Richard Bell, Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
2021
- You Can Go Now (survey), Museum of Contemporary Art, Australia, Sydney
2020
- White Lies Matter, Milani Gallery, Brisbane
2018
- Old Aboriginal Sayings, Milani Gallery, Brisbane
- Dredging up the Past, Gertrude Contemporary, Melbourne
2017
- Dredging up the Past, Milani Gallery, Brisbane
2016
- Embassy, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, Cairns & Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane
- Richard Bell: Imagining Victory (touring exhibition), Casula Powerhouse, Sydney; Western Plains Cultural Centre, Dubbo; Bathurst Regional Art Gallery; Wollongong Art Gallery; Murray Art Museum Albury; RMIT Gallery, Melbourne; Gosford Regional Gallery & Arts Centre
2015
- Embassy, Performa 15, New York City
2014
- Embassy, Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, Perth
2013
- Imagining Victory, Artspace, Sydney.
- A Suppository of All Wisdom, Milani Gallery, Brisbane.
- Lessons On Etiquette And Manners, Monash University Museum of Art, Melbourne.
2011 - 13
- Uz Vs. Them, touring Tufts University, Boston; University of Kentucky, Kentucky; Victoria H. Myhren Gallery, University of Denver, Denver; Indiana University Art Museum, Indiana.
2011
- You'd Believe Me If I Was A White Man, Milani Gallery, Brisbane.
2009
- I Am Not Sorry, Location One, New York, USA
- Richard Bell: Provocateur, University Of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane.
2008
- Scratch An Aussie Milani Gallery, Brisbane.
- Window Shopping, Gertrude Street Contemporary Art Space, Melbourne.
2007
- Psalm Singing, Bellas Milani Gallery, Brisbane.
2006
- Richard Bell: Positivity, Institute Of Modern Art, Brisbane.
2005
- Transition, Bellas Milani Gallery, Brisbane.
2004
- Colour, Bellas Milani Gallery, Brisbane.
2003
- Made Men, Metroarts, Brisbane.
2002
- Discomfort, FireWorks Gallery, Brisbane.
2001
- A Few Good Men, Fireworks Gallery, Brisbane.
1995
- Text Ya, Hogarth Gallery, Sydney.
1994
- Prospectus .38, Tandanya Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide.
- Prospectus .44, Gabrielle Pizzi Gallery, Melbourne
- Prospectus .303, Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Armidale.
- Prospectus .25, Moree Regional Gallery, NSW.
- Prospectus .22, Fire-Works Gallery, Brisbane.
1992
- Pretty: Serious, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville.
1991
- This Black + White Thin, Spring Hill Baths, Brisbane.
- Black + White Thing, Moree Regional Gallery, NSW.
Selected Group Exhibitions
Currently Touring
OCCURRENT AFFAIR: proppaNOW
Touring exhibition with UQAM and MGNSW 2021-2025
- Lismore Regional Gallery, NSW; Artspace Mackay, QLD; USC Gallery, University of the Sunshine Coast, QLD; Gosford Regional Gallery, NSW; Ngununggula | Southern Highlands Regional Gallery, NSW; NAS Galleries, National Arts School, NSW; John Curtin Gallery, Curtin University, WA, University of Queensland Art Museum, QLD
2023
- Dominion, Arts West Gallery University of Melbourne, Parkville
- proppaNOW: There Goes the Neighbourhood!, Vera List Center, New York City, United States of America
- OSMOS at Expo Chicago, Chicago, United States of America
2022
- documenta fifteen, The Fridericianum and Friedrichsplatz, Kassel, Germany
- Hawai'i Triennale 2022: Pacific Century - E Ho'omau no Moananuiākea', Honolulu, Hawaii
- Ceremony (Burial of an Undead World), Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Germany
- A Landscape is Not Something You Look At, Milani Gallery, Brisbane
- ESPRESSIONI CON FRAZIONI / FRACTIONAL EXPRESSIONS, Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art, Turin, Italy
- In Our Veins Flow Ink and Fire, 5th Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Kochi, India
- Ever Present: First Peoples Art of Australia, National Gallery of Singapore, Singapore
- Adelaide Film Festival Exhibition, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
2021
- A Year in Art: Australia 1992, TATE Modern, London
- Conversations on Shadow Architecture, Metro Arts, Brisbane; (upcoming) Dominik Mersch Gallery, Sydney, NSW
- OCCURENT AFFAIR: proppaNOW, UQ Art Museum, Brisbane, QLD
- HYPERLOCAL, Brisbane City Council Outdoor Galleries, Brisbane, QLD
- 11th Seoul Mediacity Biennale: One Escape at a Time, Seoul, South Korea
- 경로를 재탐색합니다 UN/LEARNING AUSTRALIA, Artspace and Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea
2020
- AUSTRALIA. ANTIPODEAN STORIES, PAC Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea, Milan, Italy
- Making Art Work, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane
- Viral Self-Portraits, Moderna galerija / Museum of Modern Art plus, Slovenia, online
- Violent Salt (touring), Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery, Queensland; Museum of Art and Culture, Lake Macquarie, New South Wales; Canberra Contemporary Art Space, ACT
2019
- Violent Salt (touring), Artspace Mackay, Mackay; Noosa Regional Gallery, Noosa, Queensland
- Australia. Antipodean Stories, Padiglione D'Arte Contemporanea Milano, Milan, Italy
- National Anthem, Buxton Contemporary, Melbourne
- Personal Structures - Identities, presented by the European Cultrual Centre, Giardino della Marianessa, Venice
- OK Democracy, We Need to Talk, Campbelltown Arts Centre, NSW
- All that shimmers, Rockhampton Art Gallery, Rockhampton
- TRACEBiennial and Auction, West End, QLD
2018
- Frontier Imaginaries ed. 5: Trade Markings, Vanabbe Museum, Eindhoven.
- Redlands Konica Minolta Art Prize, National Art School Gallery, Sydney
2017
- Australian Collection Permanent Exhibition, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane
- Indigenous Australia: Masterworks from the National Gallery of Australia, Collectors Room, Berlin
- Toxic Assets: Fronteir Imaginaries Ed. No.3, e-flux and Columbia University, New York
- The National: New Australian Art, Carriageworks, Sydney
2016
- Over the Fence: Contemporary Indigenous Photography from the Corrigan Collection, University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane
- Beyond the tower: 40 years and counting, University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane
- 20th Biennale of Sydney, Musuem of Contemporary Art, Sydney
- Sonsbeek 2016, Dutch Art Institute, Arnhem, Netherlands
- BELL invites..., SMBA Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
- Trigger Points, Palitz Gallery, Syracuse University, New York State
- Embassy: Richard Bell + Emory Douglas, Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia, Adelaide
2015
- When Silence Falls, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
- Propositions Three, Milani Gallery, Brisbane
- Performa 15, New York City, United States of America
- Neither Back Nor Forward: Acting in the Present, 16th Jakarta Biennale 2015, Jakarta, Indonesia
- The 8th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT8), Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane
- 9/11, MOANA Project Space, Perth
- Reflex, Figment, Engine Room, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
- All Power to the People: Transcending Borders, Richard Bell & Emory Douglas, Milani Gallery, Brisbnae, Queensland
- Blakout, Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney, New South Wales
- See You at the Barricades, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales
- Archibald Prize 2015, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales
2014
- Action at a Distance: The Life and Legacy of John Stewart Bell, Naughton Gallery, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
- Giving Voice: The Art of Dissent, Salamanca Arts Centre, Hobart, Tasmania.
- The Working Life, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane.
- Protest Songs: Artful Actions, Lismore Regional Gallery, Lismore, New South Wales.
- Conflict: Contemporary responses to war, University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane.
- My Country, I Still Call Australia Home (touring), Auckland Art Gallery Toi O Tamaki, Auckland, New Zealand.
2013
- Asian Art Biennial, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art, Taiwan.
- The Fifth Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, Moscow, Russia.
- Sakahàn, The National Gallery of Canada, Ottowa.
- My Country, I Still Call Australia Home, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane.
- Plan B, Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, Victoria.
2012
- Edge of Elsewhere, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Sydney.
- Propositions, Milani Gallery, Brisbane.
2011 - 12
- Ten Years of Contemporary Art: The James C Sourris AM Collection, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane.
2010
- 4th Auckland Triennal: Last Ride in a Hot Air Balloon, Auckland, New Zealand.
2009
- Terra Nullius, ACC Galerie, Weimar & HALLE 14, Leipzig, Germany.
- Marelle: The Hidden Mission, Penrith Regional Gallery, New South Wales.
2008
- Scratch An Aussie, Biennale of Sydney, Sydney.
- Half Light, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney.
- Revolutions: Forms That Turn, 2008 Biennale of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
- New Millenium, Lismore Regional Gallery, Lismore, NSW.
- Human Rights Arts & Film Festival, Carlton Studios, Melbourne.
2007
- Culture Warriors: National Indigenous Art Triennial, NGA Canberra (touring exhibition 2007-9)
- Power & Beauty, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne.
- Sunshine State, Smart State, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Sydney.
- The Independence Project, Galeri Petronas, Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia.
2006
- Parallel Lives: New Painting in Australia, TarraWarra Museum of Art, Melbourne.
- Recent Acquisitions, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney.
2005
- Queensland Live, Queensland Art Gallery Touring exhibition (2005 - 08).
2004
- Blak Insights, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane.
- 2004, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.
2002
- The White Show Bellas Gallery, Brisbane.
- Lines II, Fire-Works Gallery, Brisbane.
2001
- Dreamtime: The Dark and The Light, Sammlung Essl, Austria.
- The White Desert, Bellas Gallery, Brisbane.
- A Few of My Favourite Things, Fireworks Gallery, Brisbane.
1999 - 2000
- The new Republics, Touring Adelaide, England, Canada, South Africa.
1997
- Heritage Award, Canberra.
1996
- Heritage Award, Canberra.
1995
- Telstra National Indigenous Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory, Darwin.
- Heritage Award, Canberra.
1994 - 95
- True Colours, Touring London, Liverpool, Leicester, Perth, Perth, Sydney.
1993
- Australian Perspecta, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney.
- Aratjara, Dusseldorf, London, Humelbaek.
- Australian Aboriginal Art, Bomani Gallery, San Francisco.
- Ian Abdulla, Richard Bell, Harry Wedge, Boomalli Aboriginal Artists' Cooperative, Sydney.
- Plenty Of Campfires, Space Plentitude, Brisbane.
- Political Works, Space Plentitude, Brisbane.
1992 - 93
- 9th Sydney Biennale, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney.
1992
- Stories, Kerava Museum, Helsinki.
- Aboriginal*Crisis* Live, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane.
1991
- Flash Pictures, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.
- Unfamiliar Territory: Adelaide Biennial Of Australian ArT- Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide.
1990
- Balance, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane.
1989
- Aboriginal Art: Urban And Tribal, Wiumulli, Brisbane.
Awards & Prizes
2013
- Creative Australia Fellowship, the Australian Council for the Arts
2004
- Finalist, Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
2003
- Winner, National Telstra Indigenous Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory.
1993
- Winner, National Aboriginal Art Award, Gold Coast Arts Centre.
Selected Collections
- Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney.
- Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth
- Artbank, Sydney.
- Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Turin, Italy
- Flinders University, Victoria.
- Gold Coast City Art Gallery.
- Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin
- Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney.
- Museum of New Zealand - Te Papa Tongarewa
- National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.
- Neue Galerie, Kassel, Germany
- Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville.
- Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane.
- Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane
- University of New South Wales, Sydney
- University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane.
- Tate Modern, London
- Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Bibliography
- 101 Contemporary Australian Artists. Edited by Kelly Gellatly, The Council of Trustees of the National Gallery of Victoria, 2012, pp. 7, 30-31.
- 20th Biennial of Sydney: The Future is Already Here, It’s Just Not Evenly Distributed. Biennial of Sydney Ltd., 2016, pp.132-133.
- 5th Moscow Biennial of Contemporary Art: Bolshe Sveta, More Light. Edited by Catherine De Zegher, Institute of Contemporary Art, Moscow, 2013.
- Bell, Richard, et al. Richard Bell:Lessons on Etiquette and Manners. Monash University Museum of Art, 2013.
- Bell, Richard, et al. Richard Bell: Positivity. Institute of Modern Art, 2007.
- Bell, Richard, et al. “Contemporary Art and its audiences: A Queensland View, Roundtable Discussion.” GOMA Q: Contemporary Queensland Art. Edited by Rebecca Mutch, Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art, 2015, pp. 14-25.
- Conland, Natasha. Last Ride in a Hot Air Balloon: The 4th Auckland Triennial. Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, 2010, pp. 62-63, 122.
- Fisher, Laura. “The Art/Ethnography Binary: Post-Colonial Tensions within the Field of Australian Aboriginal Art.” Cultural Sociology, vol. 6, no. 2, 2012, pp. 251-270.
- Foley, Gary. “Richard Bell: Cultural Warrior and Cosmic Avenger.” Edge of Elsewhere, Campbelltown Arts Centre, 2014, pp. 35-36.
- Geczy, Adam, et al. “Insurgence at the Museum of Democracy: An Interview.” Art Monthly Australia, Summer 2013, pp. 13-15.
- Gordon, Craig, and Ryan Presley. Over the Fence: Contemporary Indigenous Photography from the Corrigan Collection. University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane, 2016, pp. 76-77.
- Maju Kena, Mundur Kena: Bertindak Sekarang. Jakarta Biennial, 2015, pp. 126-127.
- McLean, Ian. Rattling Spears:A History of Indigenous Australian Art. Reaktion Books Ltd, 2016, pp. 223, 237-8, 248-9.
- Murray, Genevieve. “Contested Space: Art and the Right to the City (In Conversation with Keg De Souza and Richard Bell).” Assemble Papers, issue #6 2016, pp. 8-17.
- Putsch: proppaNOW. Tandanya - National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, 2010, pp.18-19.
- Reilly, Maura. Richard Bell: Uz vs. Them. American Federation of Arts, 2011.
- Robb, Leigh. Richard Bell: Embassy. Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, 2014.
- Sakahan: International Indigenous Art. National Gallery of Canada, 2013, pp.160-161.
- The 8th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art. Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art, 2015, pp. 242.
- The Brisbane Club. The James C. Sourris Collection: Selected Works. James C. Souriss, 2010, pp. 6, 14-17
Exhibitions
Off-site Exhibitions
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Oct 11 – Feb 15, 2025Richard Bell‘Makeshift Memorials, Small Revolutions’Blaffer Art Museum & KADIST San Francisco![]()
Sep 15 – Jan 5, 2025Richard Bell‘Makeshift Memorials, Small Revolutions’Blaffer Museum, Houston Texas![]()
Jun 16 – Nov 10, 2024Gordon Bennett, Richard Bell, Vernon Ah Kee‘ARTIST ACTIVIST ARCHIVIST: BERNHARD LÜTHI INVITES’Fondation Opale
