The length of almost an entire continent separates Shonae Hobson's current and childhood homes.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 23-year-old Kaantju woman grew up in Coen, a tiny town of about 360 people in Queensland's Cape York.
But today she lives in Bendigo, having moved to the city in 2018 to become the first-ever First Nations curator for the Bendigo Art Gallery.
It is perhaps unsurprising that Shonae is forging a career in the art world.
Art has long been a part of her life: her mother Naomi Hobson is an artist, and Shonae recalls coming home when growing up to find her mother's work throughout the house. But she did not know the path her career would take until she got to the University of Melbourne, where she studied art history and anthropology.
"I didn't actually know that I wanted to do curatorship until I got to uni and did an art history subject, and I absolutely loved the theory side of it," Shonae said.
"But also, I think there was a lack of representation of First Nations curators within the Indigenous art space, so I think it was, for me, really important to do curatorship specifically."
For Shonae, it is important having Indigenous people both creating and curating art. "I think our stories should be told through our lens," she said.
"I think it's really important for Indigenous peoples to be the ones to tell their stories and their histories and their culture; also because it's an authentic voice as well."
Read more about recent Indigenous art exhibitions in Bendigo:
It is this storytelling aspect of art that resonates with Shonae, as well as its ability to communicate to diverse groups of people from different backgrounds.
People coming into the gallery, she said, were able to learn about and engage with different cultures, and art was especially important in offering that window into Indigenous culture.
"For us, Indigenous people, it's another way of storytelling and passing on traditional knowledge... You see lots of artists talking about their country and their culture through their art," Shonae said.
As First Nations curator, Shonae works with Indigenous artists, but her role also involves engaging with the Aboriginal community and "providing a foot in the door for community to feel really comfortable in this space".
In her role, Shonae wants to showcase Indigenous culture in an authentic way, and work with communities through art.
"It's really rewarding to be able to meet artists and work with them on exhibitions and get people involved, but also you can see how their lives have changed after, say, one workshop that you do."
She is currently curating a large exhibition showcasing contemporary Indigenous fashion, which will open later this year. "It's a direction that the fashion industry's looking in," she said.
The First Nations curator position started as a 12-month contract and was Shonae's first full-time job out of university, but was then made a permanent role at the gallery.
Being a large and "impressive" regional gallery, she said, gave her opportunities for learning she believed she would not have experienced had she worked at another institution in Melbourne.
Her role also has some flexibility and allows her to work with non-Indigenous artists, which she enjoys.
Shonae said working in a regional gallery also gave her a closer connection to the community.
"There's a closer relationship you have and networks with community, in terms of not just in the work space, but outside," she said.
"If you're working at a big institution in Melbourne, you might not necessarily have that kind of community-level engagement."
Shonae's journey to Victoria and ultimately Bendigo began when she accompanied her mum to one of her exhibitions at Alcaston Gallery in Melbourne, her first visit to the city.
Meet more interesting Bendigo residents:
She fell in love with the arts scene and decided to attend university there.
"I think there's a lot of opportunities if you're working in the arts, especially as a curator, but also for Indigenous art as well," Shonae said.
"So I think that's probably the main reason I liked Melbourne and I wanted to move, and obviously Melbourne Uni's a really great university, so that was another reason."
Moving to Melbourne from Brisbane, where she attended high school, was daunting.
But Shonae said she was able to meet a lot of new friends at Trinity College, one of the university's residential colleges.
Having one of her sisters later move to Melbourne, too, helped her adjust.
There are obviously things Shonae misses from home: family, being on country, camping, fishing and going out on the reef.
But she loves Bendigo's arts and food scene, and is full of praise for the local cafes and produce.
- Do you know someone with a story worth sharing? Contact the newsroom on 5434 4470 or addynews@bendigoadvertiser.com.au
Before her art history course steered her towards curatorship, a career in politics could have been on the cards.
"I think growing up in a small community and all the land management stuff that we did back home, wanting to be a voice for my mob back home, that was one of the main reasons why I wanted to get into politics," Shonae said.
But she said that it did not matter what occupation an Indigenous person chose, they were able to be that voice and make a contribution. Through her career, she wants to open more doors to Indigenous artists and their voices, especially young people.
"Opening up opportunities through art for younger people to engage... it's just about giving them platforms," she said.