King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) has announced that Richard Bell has been awarded the 2023 King & Wood Mallesons First Nations Art Award.
Selected from 28 finalist artworks, Richard Bell’s winning work, ‘No Tin Shack’ tells Richard’s story of when his family were ordered by the Booringa Shire Council Health Inspector to pack their belongings of his childhood home in the town of Mitchell, so that it could be demolished, leaving his family with nowhere to go.
Commenting on this year’s winning artwork, Award Patron, Djon Mundine OAM, FAHA said:
“This year’s KWM winner speaks to two historical emotions, threads that weave the fabric of who we are, and allow us to build our strengths of character and resilience, our humour and joy in life. They are; hearth, safe home (removal from), and narrow stereotyping of a sense of personal identity. We First Peoples are created by our ancestors and despite our material poverty, live in intangible riches of spirituality, family love, memories of childhood, strength and sense of self.
In regard to Richard Bell’s work, ‘No Tin Shack’, when a child is abused, materially deprived and socially made to feel unimportant and irrelevant, that trauma is now what we call generational trauma that is carried in that person’s soul and physical body through successive generations. Therefore, Richard’s work is so important – it’s theatrical, personal, and historical fact - that even though we; the Australian society, in the supposedly affluent good life of the post WWII decades; everywhere the remnants of colonial project existed in shanty towns of poverty in third world conditions at the edge of every country town and city. That even though society had an appearance of turning the race and poverty corner, the colonial oppression and trauma persists right up to the present day. The present-day discussions of how lawful or illegal it is to be poor or homeless, or indigenous.”
Richard is an established Australian artistic figure who is represented in most major National and State collections and has exhibited in a number of solo exhibitions at important institutions in Australia, Europe and America. He works across a range of media including painting, installation, performance, and video.
As the recipient of the Award for 2023, Richard receives $25,000 and his work will be displayed in an exhibition with the other finalists at Griffith University Art Museum in Brisbane until 14 October 2023.
2023 King & Wood Mallesons First Nations Art Award winner, Richard Bell said:
“Winning an award or prize is a humbling experience, finding ourselves wondering how fortunate we have been to win. We, momentarily, feel sad for those who didn’t win. But, Yeah, No. It’s all mine! Thank you very much (a la Elvis)!”
The QLD Local Artist Award, valued at $5,000, has been awarded to Keemon Williams, for his work, ‘Self Portrait (But I always wanted to be one of the Macho Men)’.
The QLD Local Artist winner, Keemon Williams said:
“There’s a risk in making work, especially personal work, and I’m both honoured and delighted that it’s culminated in this award. As always, this money will be injected into my practice, and empower me to do new and ambitious things.”
Further commenting on this year’s winning artwork, Award Patron, Djon Mundine OAM, FAHA said:
“Keemon Williams’ work, ‘Self Portrait (But I always wanted to be one of the Macho Men)’, is cheeky, relevant, and brilliant in both colour and statement against stereotypes. It’s so bright and cheerful, unsullied by homophobic taunts, a real 1950s Hollywood heroic cowboy figure (many of whom were gay).
Two other awards of special mention recognise the humble Mary Dhapalany’s bare, pure colour, woven bond to her more famous brother, and Jennifer Hurd’s window to history and personal mirror framing of her place in it.”
The 2 People’s Choice Awards, valued at $1,000 each, will be announced on 10 October 2023, following an online voting period from 14 September – 4 October 2023.
KWM Chief Executive Partner, Australia, Renae Lattey said:
“King & Wood Mallesons is committed to building genuine and trusted partnerships with First Nations peoples and communities and continuing to listen to and learn about their experience and draw on their leadership to guide and enrich our efforts.
The King & Wood Mallesons First Nations Art Award centers the voices, perspectives, and experiences of First Nations artists so they can continue to express their identity, culture, spirituality and relationship to Country through art.”
The winning artworks can be found on our website.
