Richard Bell: Embassy at Asia Society
VIEW EVENT DETAILSConversations on Indigenous sovereignty, land rights, and arts education

Photograph by Anna Kucera
Asia Society is proud to present the artist Richard Bell’s major work, Embassy (2013–ongoing). Bell is a member of the Kamilaroi, Kooma, Jiman and Gurang Gurang communities. He works in the intersection of activism and art and is committed through his practice the politics of Aboriginal emancipation and self-determination. His mediums include painting, installation, performance, and video, through which he explores the complex artistic and political problems of Western, colonial and Indigenous art production.
Embassy is a space for activism and dialogue in support of Aboriginal and Indigenous land rights. It is activated through a series of public events. Created in 2013, it is inspired by the original Aboriginal Tent Embassy, which was pitched on the grounds of Canberra’s Parliament House in 1972 by four young activists. It has previously been presented at various locations around the world, including Tate Modern, London (2023); documenta fifteen, Kassel (2022); 20th Biennale of Sydney (2016); and Performa 15, New York (2015).
The Asia Society edition of Embassy features an afternoon of conversations joined by artists, scholars, and educators focusing on issues including Indigenous sovereignty, land rights, and arts education in Australia and North America.
Embassy at Asia Society is part of a series of programs held in conjunction with the exhibition “Maḏayin: Eight Decades of Aboriginal Australian Bark Painting from Yirrkala,” on view at Asia Society Museum through January 5, 2025.
Also on view at Asia Society are Richard Bell’s painting, Umbrella Tent Embassy (2023), and the exhibition “Approaching Abstraction: Contemporary Aboriginal Art Across Australia.”
This program is supported by Milani Gallery and OSMOS.
Schedule of Events
12:30—1:30 p.m.
Conversation
Mabo v Queensland (No 2), 1992
Richard Bell discusses the history of the Australian Aboriginal land rights movement and the significance of Mabo v Queensland (No 2), 1992. He is joined by Megan Davis, Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser Chair at Harvard University and Visiting Professor, Harvard Law School; Balnaves Chair in Constitutional Law, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney; Pro Vice Chancellor Society UNSW; and acting Commissioner on the New South Wales Land and Environment Court on matters relating to Aboriginal Land Claims in New South Wales. This conversation will be moderated by Yasufumi Nakamori, Vice President of Arts and Culture and Museum Director at Asia Society.
1:30—1:45 p.m.
Break
1:45—2:45 p.m.
Conversation
Indigenous sovereignty
This discussion looks at Indigenous sovereignty, land rights and environmental issues with J. Kēhaulani Kauanui (Kanaka Maoli), Eric and Wendy Schmidt Professor of Indigenous Studies in Anthropology and the Effron Center for the Study of America at Princeton University and Joe Baker (Lenape), Executive Director and Co-founder, Lenape Center, New York.
2:45—3:00 p.m.
Break
3:00—4:00 p.m.
Conversation
Indigenous art education
This conversation explores higher education in the arts and research and post-graduate opportunities, such as artist-in-residency programs, with a focus on Indigenous arts, for art students, artists, and scholars. Richard Bell is joined by Mario A. Caro (Colombian Mestizo), Director of MFA Program in Studio Arts, Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, and Candice Hopkins (Carcross/Tagish First Nation), Executive Director & Chief Curator, Forge Project, Taghkanic, to share their practical perspectives from the field.
4:00—4:15 p.m.
Break
4:15—5:15 p.m.
Conversation
Moving Forward
Richard Bell leads the discussion on the challenges and opportunities faced by artists and scholars of Indigenous descent with Alan Michelson (Mohawk), artist, curator, and educator, with Katina Davidson (Kullilli and Yuggera), 2024–2025 Curatorial Fellow at Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville.
5:15—6:00 p.m.
Reception
Event Details
725 Park Avenue (at 70th Street)
New York, NY 10021