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'Uz vs. Them': Whose Side are You On?
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 15, 2012) − Known for his sardonic wit and provocative voice, Richard Bell is one of Australia’s leading and most impassioned artists of increasing international stature. The Art Museum at the University of Kentucky shares the artist's work, known for its political and social commentary on Australian culture, in the exhibition "RICHARD BELL: Uz vs. Them" running through May 6. Local art enthusiasts can also hear from the artist himself at a free public lecture scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, April 15, at the museum.
A self-taught artist, Bell works in a wide range of media, including painting, performance art, and video. He freely borrows styles and motifs from other artists, periods and cultures. Bell's works reference the dot matrixes and expressionist drips of Aboriginal desert painting, the Pop art styles of Jasper Johns and Roy Lichtenstein, and the drip painting of Jackson Pollock. He often incorporates text to create powerful political and social commentary. Bell’s interest in appropriation sums up many of the problems of Australian identities, asking viewers to consider ideas of ownership in images and national politics.
Bell believes Aboriginal art has become a commodity exploited and controlled by non-indigenous people. This is highlighted in his "Theorems," an ongoing series of paintings that incorporate contentious slogans against patterned and textured images. Bell’s first "theorem" featured the slogan "Aboriginal Art—It’s a White Thing." Texts in subsequent works include slogans like "We Were Here First," "Pay Me to Be an Abo" and "I Am Not a Noble Savage."
Art critic Eleanor Heartney observes that Bell "wields his art like a scalpel, using it to get under the skin of contemporary Australian culture in order to scrape away the accumulated contagions of history. In the process, he provides a remarkably effective model for thinking about larger issues as well. He reminds us that none of us can escape the paradoxes of identity and authenticity in a post-colonial world."
The Bell exhibition is organized by the American Federation of Arts and supported by the Queensland Government, Australia, through Trade and Investment Queensland’s Queensland Indigenous Arts Marketing and Export Agency (QIAMEA). Additional support has come from the Australian government through the Australia Council for the Arts and the Embassy of Australia, in Washington, D.C.
Locally, the exhibition has been made possible at the Art Museum at UK by The Bluegrass Complex of Wells Fargo Advisors.
Bell’s visit to UK was made possible by an artist’s stipend from the Australia Council for the Arts, African American Forum Inc., UK College of Fine Art's Department of Art and UK Community Engagement.
The American Federation of Arts (AFA) is a nonprofit institution that organizes art exhibitions for presentation in museums around the world, publishes exhibition catalogues, and develops education programs.
The Art Museum at UK is located in the Singletary Center for the Arts at Rose Street and Euclid Avenue. Hours are noon-5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and noon-8 p.m. Friday. Admission to "RICHARD BELL: Uz vs. Them" is $8 for the general public, $5 for seniors, and free for all students and UK faculty, staff and alumni. The exhibition is also free to all from 5-8 p.m. on Fridays.
MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, (859) 257-8716 or whitney.hale@uky.edu
