Richard Bell: Embassy at Asia Society

Asia Society is proud to present the artist Richard Bell’s major work, Embassy (2013–ongoing). Bell is a member of the Kamilaroi, Kooma, Jiman and Gurang Gurang communities. He works in the intersection of activism and art and is committed through his practice the politics of Aboriginal emancipation and self-determination. His mediums include painting, installation, performance, and video, through which he explores the complex artistic and political problems of Western, colonial and Indigenous art production.

Embassy is a space for activism and dialogue in support of Aboriginal and indigenous land rights. It is activated through a series of public events. Created in 2013, it is inspired by the original Aboriginal Tent Embassy, which was pitched on the grounds of Canberra’s Parliament House in 1972 by four young activists. It has previously been presented at various locations around the world, including Tate Modern, London (2023); documenta fifteen, Kassel (2022); 20th Biennale of Sydney (2016); and Performa 15, New York (2015).

The Asia Society edition of Embassy features an afternoon of conversations joined by artists, scholars, and educators focusing on issues including Indigenous sovereignty, land rights, and arts education in Australia and North America.

Embassy at Asia Society is part of a series of programs held in conjunction with the “Maḏayin: Eight Decades of Aboriginal Australian Bark Painting from Yirrkala,” on view at Asia Society Museum through January 5, 2025.

Also on view at Asia Society are Richard Bell’s painting, Umbrella Tent Embassy (2023), and the exhibition “Approaching Abstraction: Contemporary Aboriginal Art Across Australia.”

Visit https://asiasociety.org/new-york/events/richard-bell-embassy-asia-society for the full schedule of panel discussions and conversations.