Naomi Hobson: Adolescent Wonderland

In her first major photographic solo exhibition in NSW, Southern Kaantju/Umpila artist Naomi Hobson will present a newly commissioned, immersive photographic exhibition at Cement Fondu. Renowned for her vibrant paintings, this new commission gives Hobson the opportunity to further develop her work with photography, her engagement with Country and concerns with contemporary identity, gender and representation. The new, immersive, large-scale body of work will expand from her 2019 series Adolescent Wonderland, which was celebrated at the Tarnanthi exhibition, AGSA and was recently acquired by QAGOMA. These works are also currently featured on the banks of the Yarra River for 'Photo 22: Being Human', part of The Australian International Festival of Photography in Melbourne. Adolescent Wonderland is currently touring 11 regional galleries in South Australia from December 2021 until October 2023.

Adolescent Wonderland strikingly captures Hobson’s local community, recording the young people of the small remote community Coen, through a playful, deeply intimate and sometimes surreal lens.

I see pride in my people all the time when I’m out on the street talking to them, and I wanted the rest of the country to see what I was seeing. – Naomi Hobson

Hobson has exhibited widely both within Australia and internationally since 2008. Her work has been acquired by institutions including the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, Museum of Contemporary Art, Art Gallery of South Australia, Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Shepparton Art Museum, Bendigo Art Gallery and Cairns Art Gallery. She recently completed a major tapestry commission produced with the Australian Tapestry Workshop for the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia.

In 2021 Naomi was selected by Mecca Australia as their featured artist and her work was acquired by the NGV X MECCA partnership supporting women in the arts for the NGV.