Richard Bell: Matter of fact

Richard Bell has long been at the forefront of the political movement in urban Aboriginal art. Describing himself as a propagandist and a liberation artist, Bell has created and provoked debates about the realities of Aboriginal existence today. His 20-year career has included winning the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award and being included in high-profile exhibitions such as the Bienniale of Sydney and Culture Warriors, the inaugural National Indigenous Art Triennial at the National Gallery of Australia. More recently he held a joint exhibition with Emory Douglas, the Minister for Culture in the Black Panther movement. Importantly, Bell has been an integral part of the powerful art collective proppaNOW. In September 2009 he embarked on an international fellowship at Location One Gallery in New York, where acclaimed international curator Maura Reilly has also curated an exhibition of his work, titled “Richard Bell: I am not Sorry”. Bruce McLean talked to the artist in Brisbane before he left.