His two projects here include a life-size reproduction of his Aborigine family’s tin shack demolished by the Australian authorities, which will be installed in the gardens with typical furnishings and with his new video installation (No Tin Shack, 2022) about the demolition of his house when he was 14 years old. The looped projection shows a teenager who, in an attempt to stop the bulldozer that was demolishing the tin shack in which he was living in 1967, imitates the gesture of the man who had stopped the advance of a tank in Tiananmen Square in 1989. In the video, the teenage boy stands still and, despite his resistance, the bulldozer destroys the shack, leaving a pile of rubble. A mini-retrospective of Bell’s work in the adjoining Conference Hall presents works including Prelude to Imagining Victory of the series Umbrella Embassy, 2013, which is the first installation version of the work Tent Embassy, 2013 – in progress; the recent paintings U Can’t Touch This, 2021, and Immigration Policy, 2017; works from the past, such as Ministry Kids (Children’s Parliament), 1992, and Pigeon Holed, 1992, which reflect the fear that Aborigines may access Australian institutional and power positions. The painting Bell’s Theorem, 2002, is also installed along with original notes from the artist’s writings. Finally, the video Scratch an Aussie, 2008, is also on display. Richard Bell’s work will feature prominently in documenta 15, opening in June 2022.
This project has been generously supported by funding from Arts Queensland and the Australia Council.