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Aboriginal activist Richard Bell (de)colonises Tate Modern

Aboriginal artist Richard Bell asks Tate Modern to 'Pay the Rent (UK)', with artworks protesting land rights.

22 May 2023 11:57

Gina Fairley

Visual Arts

Richard Bell installation view, ‘You Can Go Now’, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney. Image courtesy the artist and MCA, © the artist. Photo: Anna Kučera.

Synonymous with Australian art activism, Richard Bell is a provocateur and ardent land rights activist.

A proud Aboriginal man of the Kamilaroi, Kooma, Jiman and Gurang Gurang people, Bell uses humour and wordplay to agitate and question notions of identity, place and postcolonial histories. This week his Embassy project opened in the prestigious Turbine Hall of London’s Tate Modern (20 May to 18 June).

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Gina Fairley

Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina