Martin Bell (b.1978) lives in Melbourne.

/      From 2001 to 2007 Martin staged a series of independent art installations in a variety of domestic situations, each time threatening to completely engulf his living space -- Did What Ever We Wanted at Squat in North Melbourne Freight Train Yard, And Was Quiet at 796 Main Road Snake Valley, and The Mountains and My Birthday Party at 2/21 Henry St Windsor.

/      Documentation of these three major installations became the basis for a self-published full colour monograph in 2008, My Birthday Party, launched at Don't Come Gallery. Obsessive, nostalgic, romantic, My Birthday Party depicts a Huck Finn-like existence in the Australian bush and suburbia -- catching yabbies, cooking eggs and building cubby-houses, alongside a Bowerbird sensibility that eventually overwhelmed each residence.

/      As a member of the notorious Serpents gang and a compulsive do-it-yourself-er, Martin has been self-publishing a series of highly collectable limited edition zines since 2000 (Futile Zine 1-3, Venom 1- 4, Cowboy, Kittens, & Vixens amongst many) and is constantly involved in gang activities such as group and collaborative exhibitions and expeditions.

/      In 2008/9 Martin presented his installation Cowboy Style at the Australian Centre for Photography in Sydney, as part of the exhibition Batteries Not Included curated by Joseph Allen and Malcolm Smith. In late 2009 Martin will stage a solo show of new works at Melbourne's Until Never.