A longstanding activist for Aboriginal rights, Richard Bell has produced a body of work that advocates for the recognition of Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination. His work also addresses global civil rights movements and the Indigenous ‘Land Back’ protests, initiated in the late 2010s by Indigenous Australians. I Am a Man (2021) is a painting of a 1968 photograph taken in Memphis, USA, which shows sanitation workers on strike to demand fair wages and humane treatment as they march in front of armed National Guardsmen.Two workers had been caught in the compression device of their garbage truck and died. After months of perseverance and national scrutiny, the strike ended in victory, with the workers securing a union, wage increases and recognition of their dignity and labour. This strike drew the support of Dr Martin Luther King, who delivered a speech in Memphis the day before his assassination. Repainting a photograph with such profound historical significance not only captures moments in time, but also highlights cycles of violence, systemic injustice and latent racism, emphasising the ongoing struggle for equality. I Am a Man (2021) was originally presented at documenta fifteen, where it was shown alongside Tent Embassy (2013–ongoing), text paintings from the 1970s and 80s, and Western Art (2020–2022). This work is being presented at Sharjah Biennial 16 with other paintings by Bell that depict global civil rights movements

^{*Currently exhibited at Sharjah Biennial 16}