Nilgün Güven (she/her) is a Turkish-Australian based producer, director, artist and culture agent whose business and arts practice is concerned with the intersectionality of human rights, inclusion & access, aesthetic innovation and creative production.
Nilgün has a long-standing inclusive and participatory arts practice working with and alongside people with disability, acquired brain impairment, those who identify with the experience of mental illness, disadvantage and marginalisation, children, youth and families, Indigenous communities and newly arrived refugees. With experience in a wide variety of roles she has produced and presented a multitude of projects, products, productions and partnerships for festivals, forums, and other public and online domains.
As Artistic Director of Fog Theatre (2012-present), Nilgün is also the founding director of Sparc Theatre (2004-2013; 2020-present), supported by City of Port Phillip, and Transpose Theatre (2009-2016), supported by Neami National. Other past early career credits include producing 'Woman's Word Anthology' and 'Swimming in My Head' by the PMNH's Women's Group at Theatre Works, 'Hamlet's Angel' by Bee Williamson at the National Writers Festival, Mural Artist at Western Lodge, Footscray, Youth Alliance Project, a Hume-Moreland Primary Care Partnership, 'Endling' designer for Phillip Adams BalletLab production at Dancehouse, musician with the rock band 'Painters and Dockers', Co-Curator of Gelibolu- A Turkish Australian Perspective on Gallipoli, City of Melbourne, and contributing author in 'Inside Out- Anthology of Stories from the Australian gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community', ed. E. Shale (Bookman Press).
As an access & inclusion consultant and educator, Nilgün works in partnership with organisations to improve, integrate, realise and embed accessibility into process, production, presentation and planning, to increase diversity, equity and inclusion of people with disability.
As a trained and practising audio describer & tactile tour guide since 2012, Nilgün has extensive experience in tailoring and applying this service for visual art exhibitions, short and longform films, live theatre productions, immersive art & installations, arts, culture & community events and conferences, including place-based, hybrid and participatory art, in various forms, scales, contexts and length.
Nilgün is a published author and presenter having delivered papers centred around the themes of inclusive art practice and the impact on individuals and community and has been a contributor to various funded academic research/PhD projects - Beyond Access (Arts Access Victoria/University of Melbourne), The Last Avant Garde (Julie McNamara of Vital Xposure/University of Melbourne), Creating Out Loud (University of Queensland/Theatre Network Australia), Polyphonic Motions (Vitae Veritas and RMIT University).
In 2015 Nilgün was a finalist in the Victorian Disability Sector Awards for Excellence in Advocacy and Rights Promotion and in 2007 the Inaugural winner of the VicHealth Community Cultural Development Award for her production of Crisis and Rhapsody. She is a member of the International Inclusive Arts Network- ASSITEJ International and attended ASSITEJ Beijing 2018 as an invited Australian delegate to give workshops, panel and keynote presentations.
Nilgün is also an Ensemble performer (2000-present) with Helpmann Award nominee and award-winning Rawcus Theatre, and was the company's Public Program Producer between 2012-2019, playing an important role in its growth and establishment, and leading its many projects.
Since 2006 Nilgün has also professionally mentored many independent artists and producers and was part of Theatre Network Australia's Victorian Independent Producers Initiative.
