Join Travis De Vries, the curator behind South Eveleigh's NAIDOC 2024 activations to hear the story behind Awesome Black: from founding a First Nations Creative Agency from a spare room in Muswellbrook to opening a Creative Hub in Erskineville. Big wins and big challenges, this is a personal story with an open ending, waiting to be written.

About Travis De Vries

Travis De Vries, a Gamilaroi and Darug multidisciplinary artist, is the driving force behind Awesome Black as its Executive Director. Renowned for his award-winning visual artistry, he seamlessly combines traditional landscape photography with a unique approach inspired by his oil painting practice. Travis's photographic focus is on capturing the dynamic interplay of color and light, especially during sunrise hours, creating a style almost akin to portraiture.

Beyond his role at Awesome Black, Travis has crafted an impressive career, performing globally with Bangarra Dance Theatre, concepting and organising groundbreaking projects like DanceRites, and collaborating with international artists across medium and genre. His extensive skills as a trained dancer and fine artist, coupled with his photography practice, highlight his diverse creative spectrum.

Travis actively seeks international opportunities, participating in The British Council's ACCELERATE program and engaging in arts residencies in cities like Paris, Barcelona, and Dublin. As the Create NSW Aboriginal Arts Fellow in 2018, he conducted a research residency at the Australian Museum, setting the stage for a compelling large-scale exhibition in 2019.

Under Travis's leadership, Awesome Black thrives as a dynamic platform, pushing artistic boundaries through innovative collaborations and showcasing his mastery in blending various artistic disciplines.

South Eveleigh acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which South Eveleigh stands today, the Gadigal of the Eora nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

Please note:

We may be capturing some photos & videos of the event to be used on our digital channels. Please let us know on the day or email us at south.eveleigh@mirvac.com if you prefer not to be photographed.

Parking: You can easily visit South Eveleigh via public transport - we're just a few minutes away from Redfern Station and various bus stops. Find out more here. 2 hours of free parking is available at the 2 Central Avenue Car Park with validation at one of the South Eveleigh retailers.

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Contact the host of In Conversation with Travis De Vries