Balancing Act AGWA installation view. Amanda Bell From our lip, mouths, throats and belly 2021. The State Art Collection, The Art Gallery of Western Australia. Purchased through the Art Gallery of Western Australia Foundation: COVID-19 Arts Stimulus Package, 2020. Photo by Bo Wong.
Join artist Amanda Bell as she delves into her artistic practice and talks about her new AGWA acquisition From our Lips, mouths, throats and belly 2021.
Balancing Act attempts to showcase works of art that reflect the depth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and culture, with other aspects of the Aboriginal condition. As a result, radical observations about the ups and downs of life will, at times, weave in and out of stories about Country.
Amanda Bell is an emerging Badimia and Yued artist living and working on Wadandi Noongar Boodja in Undalup (Busselton). She began making about 5 years ago as a result of being a stay-at-home carer for her elderly mother. This time in her life was quite isolating and art was an avenue for her to experience and explore the world around her as well as her culture and finding a voice through creativity. Her artistic practice has since developed and she has had some success with the intention of honouring her people, and communicating how she feels about many contemporary issues affecting Aboriginal people today. She has explored many different processes of artistic practice but has been especially drawn towards sculpture, installation art and more recently portrait painting.
Her work has been exhibited at the Bunbury Regional Art Gallery (BRAG), ArtGeo in Undalup and The Fremantle Arts Centre. Recently her large scale neon work From our mouth, lips, throat and belly was acquired by the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the Fremantle Arts Centre and Marcus Canning.
2021 saw Amanda mentored to curate her first exhibition at BRAG, for the exhibition Noongar Country, and worked on a Mental Health Arts Exhibition that was held in October 2021. Amanda will again curate Noongar Country in 2022 and be involved in the exhibition held as part of Mental Health Week in Bunbury later this year.
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GALLERY OPEN
Wed to Mon 10am-5pm
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Entry is free, donations welcomed. Special exhibitions may incur a ticket fee.