Naomi Hobson: Adolescent Wonderland

Inspired by her direct environment and ongoing connection to country, Naomi Hobson’s Adolescent Wonderland, first displayed as part of Tarnanthi’s Open Hands exhibition, is a series of photographs that tell the real-life story of young Aboriginal people in remote Australia.  

The title of this series was inspired by the classic children’s novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Themes of youth, playfulness and childhood memories are evident in Hobson’s photographs. The brightly coloured figures and their props lure the viewer into a dream-like reality, much like how Alice follows the white rabbit. 

Naomi Hobson is a Southern Kaantju/Umpila artist who lives in Coen, a small town of 360 people in the centre of Cape York Peninsula in far north Queensland. A multidisciplinary artist, she regularly works across the mediums of painting, ceramics and photography.  

Adolescent Wonderland tours 11 regional galleries in South Australia from December 2021 until October 2023.