Racism, conservatism, exploitation: there’s no dodging the issues with Aboriginal artist Richard Bell, who takes each in turn. He is, after all, the man who scandalously declared on canvas: “Aboriginal Art – It’s a White Thing”.
Fusing art and politics in a style described as “direct visual activism”, Bell has produced, with uncompromising force, art to challenge the country’s conservative artistic establishment. “The white art world puts up barriers. That’s where I have my fun, smashing those barriers”, he told Red Flag. Bell’s work and words are both testament to his commitment to challenge the status quo. “Aboriginal art has become a product of the times; a commodity. It’s the result of a concerted and sustained marketing strategy, albeit one that has been loose and uncoordinated.
“There is no Aboriginal art industry. There is, however, an industry that caters for Aboriginal art. The key players in that industry are not Aboriginal. They are mostly white people whose areas of expertise are in the fields of anthropology and Western art.”
In a mix of work that is both visually bold and conceptually confronting, you don’t have to strain to see that Bell is challenging not just the Australian art establishment but also the racist foundations of Australian society and government.
In one canvas work, in which a blonde-haired white woman cries with relief, the caption reads “THANK CHRIST I’M NOT ABORIGINAL!!!”
When asked about the Northern Territory intervention, which has persisted under both Labor and Liberal governments, Bell says, “Yes, this shocking racism is still going on. But it’s a bipartisan problem. White people don’t care, and Aboriginal people need to start a campaign calling for sanctions against this country.”
It’s easy to see how such content may be uncomfortable for some. Very few artists manage simultaneously to interrogate the genocide of Aboriginal people after European colonisation, to express frustration at the continued oppression of First Nations people and to critique the overwhelmingly white Australian art scene.
Commenting on whether art depicting the oppression of Aboriginal people helps in the overall struggle against racism, Bell comes back to the racist foundations of Australia.
“The jury’s still out on that one. With the successes of so many Aboriginal artists in remote Australia, there’s still little to show for it. The problems for Aborigines are deeply structural, and we’re still under the process of assimilation. Nothing will really change until Aboriginal people achieve self-determination.”
“It is my job as an artist to test people’s resolve, to provoke thought”, he told ABC Radio’s Message Stick program 10 years ago. “And that’s what I do, I provoke thought and discussion.”
Today, he continues to agitate and ask questions through his work.
[Richard will be speaking at Marxism 2014 over the Easter weekend in Melbourne.]
