Larissa Berendt’s documentary You Can Go Now explores not only an outspoken artist who’s trying to reclaim indigenous art from the influence of wealthy, white collectors and investors, but a period in the history of the Australian civil rights movement that many outside the country are unaware of.
Richard Bell is a proud, black, aboriginal visual artist with – to put it bluntly – zero fucks left to give to anyone, especially the white aristocracy. Unafraid of pulling influences from other famous artists and photographers to make his points, Bell relentlessly presses buttons and pushes back against the white commodification of indigenous art. The type of aboriginal art that sells well in Australia is usually somehow “refined” and “tasteful.” Bell’s works are combative, blunt, cheeky, and designed to spark outrage and thought.
Bell, as Berendt’s interview subjects and the man himself points out, is a complicated figure. He pushes the envelope as far as possible, sometimes going too far for some. But You Can Go Now looks at how that constant pushing back against oppression leads to the biggest results and change. Bell’s work ties back into the roots of the black power movement in Australia, which was heavily influenced by the Black Panthers and stood for the returning of non-treaty lands to their original indigenous overseers. For Bell, the advocacy and protest comes first. The art is simply a medium for the message.
Bell is an in-your-face curmudgeon, but Berendt shows precisely where the artist is coming from. The historical outline in You Can Go Now is rich and highly educational; the sort of teachings that should reach far beyond the country in which they originated. It’s particularly relevant to North American culture, which has been going through something similar in recent times with regard to indigenous land rights and artistic movements. The longer You Can Go Now goes on, Berendt shows the universality of Bell’s outrage.
Friday, April 28, 2023 – 9:00 pm – TIFF Bell Lightbox 2
Saturday, May 6, 2023 – 2:45 pm – TIFF Bell Lightbox 4
You Can Go Now will be available to stream across Canada via Hot Docs from May 5th to 9th.
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