Amé Bell

Born in Johannesburg in 1988, Bell graduated from the North West University in Potchefstroom in 2013 with an MA in art history. Bell is currently a PhD Candidate in the history of art department at University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, focussing her research on independent artists in Johannesburg and their expansion into the digital space.

As the director of David Krut Projects, Bell has worked closely with local and international artists and connects young South African artists to the David Krut Workshop in the inner city of Johannesburg, allowing them to gain collaborative editioning experience by working with a team of skilled printers.

Bell cites highlights in her curatorial practice, including exhibitions curated for Ethiopian photographer Aida Muluneh in Johannesburg and at the 1:54 Art Fair in London and in New York, two exhibitions curated alongside Master Printer Jillian Ross on the Making of William Kentridge’s Triumphs and Laments Woodcut Series in Johannesburg, as well as solo projects Polytekton (Johannesburg) and co-curating Silence of the Change (New York) by Serbian-born artist Maja Maljevic.  Bell was also invited to curate a solo project at the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival in 2020.

“My curatorial practice is aimed not only towards translating processes, and creating a dialogue around the experience of works and exhibitions, but also to establish and communicate the histories of artists, their works and their collaborations which often include a multitude of voices.

I have a passion for understanding the artist’s process as I work with them from the inception, through the making, until the works are finally displayed in galleries and other public spaces.

My exhibition-making process is aimed at storytelling that connects an audience with the artist and their ideas, as well as the overall input of their collaborators who have played a part in the creative process.”