Kochi-Muziris Biennale: Capturing the spirit of aboriginal resistance

Australian artist Richard Bell has tried to map the spirit of the aboriginal resistance through his installation ‘Embassy’ at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.

It was created by setting up a tent in the outdoors of the Biennale venue at Aspinwall House, Fort Kochi. The work reflects a theme that brings to light the discrimination and exploitation faced by Australia’s aboriginal population even after the colonial period and calls for the defence of the aboriginal population all over the world on a global scale, according to a communication.

A descendant of the aboriginal tribe, 70-year-old Richard Bell decries the owner-slave mentality still existing 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,” he was quoted in the release.

The tent has been envisioned 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. The exterior of the tent exhibits posters depicting the sharp outcry against discrimination and exploitation. One of them says, “Why is democracy being celebrated when life as an aboriginal is forbidden?” The installation had been exhibited at prominent contemporary art expos worldwide, it said.