Life On The River brings together a series of new photographs by multidisciplinary artist Naomi Hobson, captured during the wet season in Coen and centred on the deep cultural and spiritual significance of Wukaanta – the Coen River.

Curated by Shonae Hobson, the exhibition marked her first curatorial project working alongside her mother and was developed through close, community-led collaboration. Hobson was present throughout the making of the work, including during the photographing of young people from the community, grounding the exhibition in lived experience, trust and intergenerational storytelling. The exhibition highlights the centrality of the river to life in Coen and the enduring relationships between people, Country and culture.

“Living on the river is part of our daily existence and defines who we are as people from Coen, how we look and how we live. The river is spiritually important to us. It represents our history. Our people are buried along the river and there are special birthing sites. The river has fed us for thousands of years – we have laid on the sandbanks and looked at the same star constellations as our ancestors. For us – it’s life. This series of photographs tells our river story.”
— Naomi Hobson, 2024