RICHARD BELL

Richard Bell says that he's "more an activist than an artist".

Freely appropriating the styles of others, he teases, mocks, and undercuts Artworld pretentions, while fulminating against the brutal treatment of Aboriginal peoples.

Bell's colourful, didactic paintings express his anger and frustration, yet always with an undercurrent of wicked humour.

He is a highly controversial figure, and one of Australia's most impassioned artists.

A member of the Kamiloroi People, Bell lives in Queensland. He has exhibited widely in Australia and over-seas, winning first prize in the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award in 2003.