Elder Wing of Australian Art: Plain English Tour
Work 15 of 15

Richard Bell used to be an activist.

An activist is a person who argues for rights or changes to make people’s lives better.

Richard was an activist for Aboriginal land rights.

Now he is an artist,

but art is a way for him to share his activist ideas.

Richard is a member of the Kamilaroi, Kooma, Jiman and Gurang Gurang communities.

He suffered mistreatment when growing up.

Richard grew up in Queensland in the 1950s and ’60s.

When he was young, he lived in a tent.

Then in a tin shed.

Later, as a teenager, he watched as his home on an Aboriginal reserve was knocked down.

This was done by the Government.

That is why he became an activist.

Richard didn’t go to art school, he taught himself about art.

He makes many different types of art.

In his paintings, Richard often uses written words.

Often his paintings include well-known pictures from art or history.

Richard’s art is sometimes funny

but it is also very honest.

His honesty can often make people feel uncomfortable.

His art brings people face to face with important issues of:

- racism

- Aboriginal freedom

- fairness.

This painting,The sign says it, is based on a newspaper photograph from 1968.

It shows a march in Darwin.

The march was against a law to allow people to sell Aboriginal land in the Northern Territory.

They called this march the ‘Wave Hill walk-off’.

The ‘Wave Hill walk-off’ was an important event for Aboriginal land rights.

In this painting, Richard uses bright colours.

This changes the old black-and-white picture into a powerful work of art.

The painting celebrates a famous moment from the past.

But the bright colours also make it feel more modern

– as if the march would be happening today.

The men in the march are carrying a sign.

It says “Ask us what we want”.

They want the government to listen to their voices and ideas.

Richard’s painting shows that this message is still important today.