Travis De Vries - Deity

This concept of the other draws from ways of positionality within traditional community structures that includes people who live apart from the core community. The folklore of the witch, the wise woman(or man), the shaman or kurdaitch is one that has a certain level of fear attached to it from the conceptual idea of community. 

The project will juxtapose the concepts of Artificial Intelligence as a modern cosmic horror entity with the reverence and complexity of a First Nations deity. It will delve into how both are perceived — as powerful, often unknowable forces, with AI embodying the unknowable terror of a cosmic horror, and the First Nations deity symbolising a potent spiritual presence, deeply connected to land, culture, and existence. 

Work in Development Screening

Date: Wednesday 20 November 2024

Time:  2-4pm (including post-show conversation) 

Location:  RS1, 5 Olympic Parade, Bankstown

RSVP Here.

About the artist

Travis De Vries, founder and Executive Director of Awesome Black, is a versatile cross-disciplinary artist and award-winning visual artist.

Travis’s artistic journey spans from performing with Bangarra Dance Theatre globally to crafting bespoke community programs for Indigenous performers at the Sydney Opera House. His practice, rooted in storytelling, has manifested in solo exhibitions across the UK and Australia, blending various forms like paintings, drawings, projections, and experiential sculptures. By reinventing Indigenous and Western Mythologies, Travis explores themes of Indigeneity, violence, love, and more, creating a unique and familiar experiential style.

Travis De Vries participated in the  ALWAYS: Call and Response residency during March 2024. This solo creative development project will build on work from the collective creative development.

Cover image credit: Teresa Tan

ALWAYS: Call and Response is a part of a suite of year-long programs supporting First Nations-led experimental art. Utp’s 2024 provocation First and Last affirms our strong commitment to First Nations Peoples having the first and last word, now and into the future.

PARTNERS AND SUPPORTERS

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.