‘Language of the Land’ is painted in concert with the natural landscapes of her Country – from the rainforests to the grasslands, and hinterlands traveling down to the coast and its precious reefs. The works have travelled from Coen, a small and close-knit community of about 360 people in Cape York. This town, where Hobson lives and creates her work, is built on the Country of the Kaantju peoples, her maternal family line. It is just south of the saltwater Country of the Umpila people, Hobson’s patrilineal ancestors. Hobson communicates this deeply felt history and future through her painting.

A member of a dynamic new generation of First Nations artists, Hobson works from a position of both humility and pride. This dual sensibility reflects her two guiding stars of Country and community.

Hobson is a figure of affection within the town of Coen, known to residents and to visitors alike as a local leader in the arts, as well as in land care organisations. In July 2022, after a thirty year campaign, Cape York Traditional Owners have reconnected with their land, culture and history as part of four historic determinations which saw nearly 1.5 million hectares of land recognised under native title.

This historic moment in Indigenous land rights has had a profound impact for Hobson and her community of Coen. The paintings featured in ‘Language of the Land’ bring the messages from nature which her community lives by to new audiences: to share a way of life, and a way of being, that is joyful, sustainable, and focused on preserving the land for future generations of all cultures.