Richard Bell (artist)

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[edit] Richard Bell

Australian Artist

Richard Bell is a forthright individual who says exactly what's on his mind. Born in Charleville, Queensland in 1953 he came to the attention of the wider community after his painting 'Scientia E Metaphysica (Bell's Theorum)' won the 2003 Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award. With the text "Aboriginal Art - It's A White Thing" prominently featured across the 240 x 240cm work, it was a winner that divided the room on both political and aesthetic grounds. It was taken literally in some quarters and seen as an attack on other artists. Others saw it as an honest statement of things as they are in the eyes of this artist, and possibly something no one else has had the guts to state quite so publicly before. Many others employed uncomfortable laughter to hide behind.

Bell's win in this prize was to provide not only a boost in recognition in the wider community but to facilitate the rise of his artistic career and to strengthen his voice as an activist and provide a much bigger stage on which to project that voice.

On the night of the award his t-shirt caused more ripples with the white on black lettering, announcing, "White Girls Can't Hump", causing a parliamentary debate and an anti-descrimination case and even some calls for his award to be taken back.

Telstra's NT General Manager, Danny Honan heaped further praise on Bell saying, " It was great to see that he didn't try to change himself just for the art awards".

It is doubtful that Bell will tone down anything for anyone and why indeed should he? As he stated in the acceptance speech on the night, "I am my art, my art is me".