Richard Bell’s ‘Embassy’ a hit at Kochi Biennale

An installation set up by noted Australian contemporary artist Richard Bell called ‘Embassy’ - a symbol of resistance of the people of First Nations, is making waves at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, an international exhibition of contemporary art being held in Kochi, Kerala.

‘Embassy’ has been created by putting up a tent outdoors at the Biennale venue in Fort Kochi highlighting the discrimination and exploitation faced by Australia’s First Nations people even after the colonial period, and to create awareness about them all over the world.

70-year-old Richard Bell, a member of the Kamilaroi, Kooma, Jiman and Gurang Gurang communities, describes the ownerslave mentality that still exists and is very much deep-rooted in certain human minds, as something that should be most despised.

“Can it be blamed if, to express their strong displeasure, the aboriginals open an embassy in their own land? The ‘Embassy’ has been taken up as a symbol reflecting the pitiful condition of Aboriginals at an international level,” says Bell who is a wellknown name as a contemporary artist and activist in Australia.

The Brisbane-based artist, has envisioned the First Nations Embassy - a tent - as a place for holding exhibitions, video presentations, and discussions to ensure the survival and welfare of Aboriginals and to support institutions fighting on their behalf. Bell’s installation is itself inspired by the first Aboriginal Tent Embassy, pitched on the grounds of Canberra’s Parliament House in 1972, by four young men demanding Aboriginal land rights. The Tent Embassy still stands today as a reminder of the audacity and tenacity of the original tent ambassadors and a continuation of their diplomacy in the field of Indigenous politics.

The exterior of the tent exhibits posters depicting the sharp outcry against discrimination and exploitation. One of them reads: “Why is democracy being celebrated when life as an Aboriginal is forbidden?”

‘Embassy’ has been exhibited at prominent contemporary art expos worldwide. Big canvas paintings made by Richard Bell in response to racism and land conflicts involving Aboriginals can also be seen at Kochi.

The Kochi Biennale is on until 10 Apr 2023.

IANS