GALLERY LEDA GALLERY

EXHIBITION TITLE BEHIND THE MOUNTAIN,THE SUN SLEEPS

PIECES 18 PAINTINGS

EXHIBITION BIO

BEHIND THE MOUNTAIN THE SUN SLEEPS takes its title from a phrase spoken by Sean Thomas Bell’s firstborn son. It evokes a quiet, transitional moment—when daylight recedes and the rituals of evening begin. On the drive home, Sean would ask, “Where has the sun gone?” and his son would reply, “Behind the mountain.” This simple exchange becomes a poetic framework for the exhibition, grounding it in the intimacy of family life and the passage of time.

The works in this exhibition are shaped by a period of profound personal shift. Balancing the demands of fatherhood with the continuities of an artistic practice, Bell reflects on the tension between presence and productivity. The two-year interval since his last exhibition speaks to this recalibration of time—where creative output is interwoven with the rhythms of domestic life. Many of the paintings draw their titles from recent memories and lived experiences within Bell’s growing family. These works function as quiet acts of preservation, tracing fleeting moments that
might otherwise dissolve into the everyday.

In parallel with these thematic developments, Bell has expanded his material approach. While rooted in acrylic painting, this body of work introduces new techniques and processes, extending the surface language of his practice and opening new avenues for expression.

GALLERY PLAYSTATE ON FERN

EXHIBITION TITLE FUTURE FRAGMENTS

PIECES 16 PAINTINGS

EXHIBITION BIO

Playstate on Fern Gallery hosted Sean Thomas Bell's exclusive solo exhibition of the year 'FUTURE FRAGMENTS'. The unique showcase invited the public to explore a harmonious blend of the past and present, as Bell artfully revisits a selection of old paintings from as far back as 2019, infusing them with further layers of elements that forge a dynamic dialogue.

Along with some of these past reworked paintings, Bell created 10 brand-new paintings. Bell’s abstract art practice is a masterful exploration of fragmentation, where he isolates intriguing elements from both nature and man-made origins.

These fragments are meticulously transformed into new, meaningful forms, crafted with a palette of earthy tones and organic shapes that resonate with depth and complexity. Through his deep layering techniques, Bell creates a visual narrative that is both familiar and refreshingly new.

GALLERY PLAYSTATE ON FERN

EXHIBITION TITLE THAT TIME, WAS NEVER ENOUGH

PIECES 24 PAINTINGS

EXHIBITION BIO

Bell's solo exhibition - 'THAT TIME WAS NEVER ENOUGH' is about moments. Moments where you are watching that last bit of the sun fade away behind the mountain. That moment you push past trees and an unexpected view appears. That hike, that walk, that last summer swim vibe. They can feel never enough sometimes, wanting to hold on to that little bit longer. So your mind creates memories of these moments.

He likes to investigate how ‘minds capture moments in time’ and how ‘our memories betray those thoughts in unusual ways’ framing scenes inaccurately. These paintings also explore an individual’s interpretation of the outside world. The organic shapes and tertiary colours of eucalyptus green, and pink tones for those dreamy sunsets, and the repetition of circles suggest the action of the sunrise and sunsetting over mountain drops.

Though as humans we are regularly looking for that escape to nature, we are constantly surrounded by man-made objects. The paintings showcase a mixture of natural elements, being pushed to the boundaries of elements that feel more built by humans, and where the human eye crosses the line of what is real and what is not. 

Sean would like you as the viewer to use your imagination and produce your interpretation of what you see within these paintings. Different people will see other things, influenced by their relationships, experiences, and interests. 

VENUE SLINGTOWN ESPRESSO

EXHIBITION TITLE THESE VIEWS ARE OURS

PIECES 7 PAINTINGS

EXHIBITION BIO

This body of work from Sean is a series of observational sketches ranging from treks throughout Central, Eastern, and North Europe from 2019, including Germany, Slovenia, Albania, and Finland. Along with parts of the East Coast of Australia from 2020 till the present. That have been turned into paintings.

The Title of the show - ‘THESE VIEWS ARE OURS’ is about how most scenes throughout the world have been seen before and by many. Though at that one moment when taking it in yourself, the way you look at it, and interpret it, that view is yours. It can be seen in many different ways, just like these paintings, as most of them can be hung in numerous ways.

Bell has been experimenting with more layering and textures in this new range of work.

VENUE LEFT HAND SPACE

EXHIBITION TITLE MADE TO STRAY

PIECES 13 PAINTINGS

EXHIBITION BIO

MADE TO STRAY will be the first solo exhibition for Newcastle-based Designer/Artist, Sean Thomas Bell.

In June 2018, a week after Sean’s last group exhibition ‘All These Pieces’, he left Australia for Berlin to find new challenges and pull back the layers of the city’s creative scene and diverse culture.

As well as exploring Berlin’s diverse scapes and the forests that surround the city borders, Sean also traveled through many countries in Europe such as Slovenia, Finland, Albania ,and Greece (just to name a few).

With a pen and sketchbook in hand, this is where he gathered many visual references and inspiration from the different terrains, landscapes, and surfaces.

Sean’s paintings are a representation of all these sketches combined through a minimalistic, abstract approach. The forms that once resembled flora and fauna become almost unrecognizable... ‘straying’ from their original state.

VENUE ONWARDS STUDIO

EXHIBITION TITLE ALL THESE PIECES

PIECES 9 PAINTINGS (from Sean)

EXHIBITION BIO

'All These Pieces' is a group show featuring 3 of the resident artists working from the Onwards Studio in Newcastle, Australia. This is a unique exhibition by Millie Shorter, Tom Henderson & Sean Bell who will be showcasing their latest pieces of art within the studio they all work from

(Personal bio for the show) Bell, a Graphic Designer by trade has been flirting with an abstract style of art since the beginning of 2018.

He finds inspiration in the hidden shapes and lines of the natural & built environments that surround him day to day. Bell’s work involves acrylic on a mix of canvas and plywood, where chunky textures meet dead sharp lines. Bell’s aim is for the audience to find their own meaning within each piece and to create their own story.

This will be the last time to see any of Sean’s work for some time before he heads off to Berlin, Germany where he explores the next chapter in life.