Dylan Van Den Berg on Benjamin Duterrau’s 'Mr Robinson's first interview with Timmy'

Playwright and dramaturg Dylan Van Den Berg (Palawa) provides an Art Talk focused on poetry and art, in celebration of Poetry Month. Commissioned by the National Gallery in partnership with Red Room Poetry to respond to a work of art in the national collection, Dylan Van Den Berg selected Benjamin Duterrau’s painting, Mr Robinson's first interview with Timmy (1840). In this Art Talk, Van Den Berg reads his new ekphrastic commission and shares insights into the writing process.

Dylan Van Den Berg’s work explores Blak and Queer identities through the subversion of national stories to embolden Indigenous perspectives. Currently, Dylan is under commission at the Canberra Street Theatre and the National Theatre of Paramatta. His 2022 play Whitefella Yella Tree has been nominated for the Victorian Premier’s Award for Drama and has won the NSW Premier’s Award for Playwrighting. Dylan trained as a dramaturg through the BlackWrights Program with Kamarra Bell-Wykes.

This Art Talk was presented in partnership with Red Room Poetry as part of Poetry Month 2024.

Art Talks are a free weekly program. Hear from artists, curators and experts on the works in our collection and exhibition program. This Art Talk is part of a series focused on the intersection of text, poetry and art.