© National Portrait Gallery 2025
King Edward Terrace, Parkes
Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
Phone +61 2 6102 7000
ABN: 54 74 277 1196
National Photographic Portrait Prize 2024 Finalist
Naomi Hobson
Southern Kaantju/Umpila
born Australia 1978
Fragility 2024
pigment photographic print on paper
‘Micky is my cousin. It’s the middle of the wet season and in between fishing places, we were all relaxing when this beetle dropped onto his face. He was a little shocked, but he gathered himself, pulled the clinging beetle off his face and let it wander off to live yet another day. I love spending time on the river with my family. The river is filled with invertebrates; they are the backbone of biodiversity, and they call the Coen River home too. It’s a shared space. I wanted to capture this connection and show that we can all live in harmony with nature and its diversity of species. Life is fragile.’
Southern Kaantju/Umpila artist Naomi Hobson lives on the banks of the Coen River in Coen, Queensland. Her paintings, ceramics and photographs address the powerful and ancient links between Country and identity, and assert a strong and confident vision of her Community.
from Saturday 16 August
The NPPP is an annual prize for Australian photographers. The year’s most outstanding photographic portrait is awarded a $30,000 cash prize and photographic equipment valued at $20,000 courtesy of our Imaging Partner, Canon Australia. Entries for 2025 are open.
The National Photographic Portrait Prize 2024 celebrates established and emerging artistic talent from across the country.
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