bio
Roberley Bell is inspired by nature and time. Her practice draws on the world around her, particularly through the scrutiny of nature and the built environment. Bell has had numerous residencies, including the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris; Stadt Künstlerhaus in Salzburg, Austria; The International Studio Program in NYC; and Sculpture Space in Utica, NY. Bell’s work has been exhibited and reviewed internationally. She has exhibited in New York, Chicago, Boston, Malmö, Sweden; Istanbul, Turkey; Toronto, Canada; among others. She has completed public projects in Istanbul, Turkey; Kaliningrad, Russia; Chicago; Pittsburgh; Cambridge; Cleveland; and Fitchburg. Bell has participated in several art fairs, including Spring/Break, Art Miami, Scope New York, and Contemporary Istanbul.
Bell is the recipient of numerous fellowships, including awards from the New England Foundation for the Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts, a Pollock-Krasner Fellowship, and a Senior Scholar Fulbright to Turkey. As a Fulbright Specialist, Bell conducted walking workshops internationally. Workshops have been held in Sharjah, UAE; Istanbul, Turkey; and Malmö, Sweden. Her book Do You Know This Tree?, published by Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, New York, is the culmination of a ten-year walking project in Istanbul.
Bell lives in Western Massachusetts and maintains a studio in the historic canal city of Holyoke.
Artist Statement
My sculptures are a conglomeration of contrasting elements, straddling the space between representation and abstraction. The dominant features of color, form, and material push against one another, expanding the potential for disparate materials to come together in new ways, creating hybridized forms. I am inspired by, and referential to, the natural world, blurring the line between the natural world and my own reimaginings of it. My sculptures are crafted using a wide variety of media, including clay, plaster, and wood. It is both the combination of materials and their inherent properties that I explore in my sculpture, seeking potential in unexpected ways. There is a palpable spontaneity inherent in these works.
Drawing is an integral part of my studio practice, allowing me to work out complex ideas around form and color. Drawing is my process of thinking out loud—a means to explore the potential of a sculpture as it progresses over time and space.
