Marshall Bell was a statesman, an international artist, cultural leader, ceremonial man and storyteller. As an activist Bell 'spent a large part of his life working to get land rights and cultural heritage matters assisting traditional owners regain their country.'
Bell was born on the Charleville Aboriginal Reserve, south-western Queensland, and spent his early childhood in Charleville and Mitchell, where he spent most of his school years in Mitchell and Dalby. When he left school, he travelled and worked in different places, such as Darwin, Redfern, the Coffs Harbour region, and Brisbane.
Since the 1980s, Bell had worked in the visual arts arena, and his work had been displayed in the Queensland Art Gallery's 1990 ' Balance' exhibition. (Marshall Bell, "Will it take Sanctions Against Australia to get us into the Black?" 1993; RUtopia exhibit; Design & ARt Australia Online)
Awards:
2013
Residency from The Kluge-Ruge Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia in partnership with Australia Council for the Arts.
