Literature in our Collection
(M-Z)

Reilly, Maura: Richard Bell. Uz vs. Them, D Giles Ltd, London 2011, Ausst. Kat., ISBN 9781904832959

Table of Contents        ¦         Cover Text        ¦         Book Review

Table of Contents

Eleanor Heartney: Foreword -6-

Curator’s Preface -8-

Acknowledgements -9-

Maura Reilly: We Were Here First: An Interview with Richard Bell -10-

Djon Mundine: For Whom the Bell Tolls - It Tolls For Thee -18-

Richard Bell: Scratch an Aussie -24-

Maura Reilly: Catalogue -28-

Timeline -76-

Bibliography -78-

Index -80-

Cover Text

Over the past two decades, Richard Bell has established a significant reputation as a political commentator and an "enfant terrible" of Indigenous art. His provocative and often humorous works, with their bold use of images and text, force viewers to face the troubling issue of racism in Australia. Bell's inspiration is complex and multi-layered. He is an avid appropriator, borrowing from artists of other periods and cultures, including Roy Lichtenstein, Jasper Johns, Jackson Pollock, and Aboriginal painter Emily Kam Kngwarreye, to create powerful messages. He works across a wide range of media, including painting, performance, and video, producing works of protest that confront and unsettle ideas about the relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians, about their country's history and about art itself. This stunningly illustrated catalogue features more than 40 color illustrations and an extensive interview with the artist by Maura Reilly. The volume explores Bell's work within the context of Indigenous politics, as well as examining ist formal qualities. Also featured are a foreword by Eleanor Heartney, a "manifesto" by Bell, an essay by Indigenous art specialist Djon Mundine, a timeline, a bibliography, and an index.