Ben Apfelbaum

NAIDOC’S BLAK MARKETS @ BARANGAROO RESERVE

On Saturday 9th July NAIDOC’s Blak Markets popped up at Barangaroo Reserve for one day only, transforming Nawi Cove into a lively marketplace showcasing Australia’s rich indigenous culture and also featured free music and traditional Aboriginal dance performers.

More than twenty store holders sold indigenous arts, crafts, skin care products and bush foods. These included Cheryl Davidson (gift card, painting), Claire Bates (traditional handmade Aboriginal jewellery and woven baskets), Glenn Timbery (boomerangs), Torres Strait Islander Ilan Treasurez with hand painted shell work and Tangentyere artists from Alice Springs.

Outdoor cooking demonstrations were held with renowned indigenous chefs, Clayton Donovan, Fred’s Bush Tucker and Black Olive who encouraged visitors to try bushfoods and learn about traditional indigenous cooking methods.

There were also weaving and shell workshops and Aboriginal cultural tours with Barangaroo’s Visitor Service Guides which were free for the day only.  

Published by Ben Apfelbaum

My photography began when my father handed me the proverbial brownie box camera as a child. As cameras developed I went through Fujica and Olympus range finders graduating to my first single lens reflex camera, the Minolta SRT101, the latter being the greatest facilitator to my growth as a photographer. Digital photography has only added to this. I was a regular contributor to Camera Craft magazine (Australian Camera ) for over three years. During Australia’s Bicentennial year (1988) I made it a personal project to document the celebrations. This culminated in the creation of a book of my photos which was published in 1989. The book was called CELEBRATING AUSTRALIA and came with an accompanying calendar. My works have appeared in a number of publications including the coffee book entitled MY AUSTRALIA (1989), publisher Robertsbridge Severn. This book had a preface by the then Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke. I was a co-photographer on a book entitled SYDNEY- DISCOVER THE CITY with text written by Robert Treborland. Major Mitchell Press was the publisher. Also for two years I was the photographer for calendars celebrating Sydney’s multicultural communities. The two calendars were entitled MULTICULTURAL SYDNEY. My work appeared in a group exhibition held at Sydney’s Town Hall pertaining to the diversity of life in South America to raise money for orphanages there. I have over one hundred photos stored in the New South Wales State Library archive. I had a solo exhibition held in 2007 entitled Ben’s Lens at the Sydney Jewish Museum which celebrated the vibrancy of the Sydney Jewish community. Some of these photos are on the Museum’s permanent display. I have exhibited internationally firstly at the Spruill Gallery in Atlanta Georgia, united states, and in an exhibition entitled Kosher and Co at the Jewish Museum in Berlin. Currently I am a regular contributor to J-Wire and this esteemed publication.