Artist: Silas Hobson
Date of Birth: 19/05/1978
Biography
Silas Hobson was born in May 1978. He comes from the Kuuku ‘Yau/Wuthathi language group. Silas is a naturally
talented and gifted arrtist. He was one of the original ART GANG members. He started painting in 1996 and over the
years he has established a solid mark as a leading Indigenous Australian artist from Lockhart River.
Silas works captures his ancestral spirits, the link to culture, tradition, language stories and way of life both past and
present. His paintings also captures the desires of his ancestral spirits to preserve life and values that have given strong
identity to language and clan groups in Lockhart River.
Silas has exhibited in both solo and group exhibitions in Hobart Tasmania, Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, Melbourne,
Canberra, Cooktown Queensland, Alice Springs and Darwin in Northern Territory, Spoletto Italy, Britany France,
Georgia USA, Houston USA, Virginia USA, Santa Fe USA and New Mexico USA.
Solo Exhibitions
• 2002: “Something Out There”, Andrew Baker Art Dealer, Brisbane
• 2005: November, “Coming Together”, Andrew Baker Art dealer, Brisbane
• 2006: September, emerge ART SPACE, Perth WA
• 2006: September, Hogarth Gallery, Sydney
• 2007: June, KickArts Gallery, Cairns
• 2007: July, Framed Gallery Darwin
• 2007: September, “Contemporary Indigenous Art of Lockhart River”, Palazzo Collicola, Spoletto Italy
• 2009: July, “Ancestral Spirits”, Hogarth Gallery, Sydney
• 2012: March, “Ngayu Kulmin Kunthakuntha (I return strong)”, emerge ART SPACE, Perth WA
• 2020: Special Project for Queensland Police: staff recognition service plaques. Silas painted 5 plaques and as no
November 2020 will paint another 3 plaques bringing total in 2020 to 8 plaques completed.
Group Exhibitions
• 1997: February, “Mepla Sarbie Art” with Lockhart River Art Gang at the Lockhart River Art & Culture Centre, Cape
York, QLD
• 1997: October, “Ngana Nyiikana – Us Painting” with Lockhart River Art Gang at Cairns Regional Gallery QLD
• 1997: December, “Rena Ellen Jones Award”, exhibition at the Warrnambool Art Gallery, Victoria Australia
• 1998: April, “The Natonal Indigenous Art of Place Award” Exhibition at Old Parliament House Canberra ACT
• 1998: December, “Message Stick” Exhibition in Brisbane at Queensland Aboriginal CreaƟons.
• 1999: July, InternaƟonal Works on Paper Fair, Sydney
• 1999: November, Cairns Regional Gallery Post Card ExhibiƟon
• 1999: December, Lockhart River Art Gang Group ExhibiƟon, “we Searching” at QLD Aboriginal Creations.
• 2000: “Message Stick” touring exhibition by “The Art Gang”, from Lockhart River, funded by Visions Australia
1999-2001
Lockhart River Arts Indigenous Corporation – Silas Hobson Biography Page 2 of 4
• 2000: June, “In My Eyes” an exhibition of fine art prints by “The ART GANG” and friends from Lockhart River,
Cairns Regional Gallery
• 2000: December, “Pama Belong Sandbeach”, paintings and prints by Lockhart River Art Gang at Queensland
Aboriginal Creations Brisbane
• 2001: March, “In My Eyes”, Vera Scarth-Johnson Gallery, Cooktown
• 2001: October, “Gatherings” Commonwealth Heads of Government ExhibiƟon, Brisbane
• 2002: August, “Collectable Aboriginal Art Event 2002”, Raintree Aboriginal Fine Art Gallery, Darwin
• 2003: February, “Water: Prints from Lockhart River and the Tiwi Islands”, Queensland University of Technology
Art museum, Brisbane
• 2003: April, “Moon Exhibition”, Arthouse Gallery, Sydney
• 2003: April, Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs Northern Territory
• 2003: July, “Story Place Exhibition”, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane
• 2003: July, “Works on Paper Fair” represented by Main Street Gallery Sydney
• 2003: August, “Alliance Members” Exhibition, Brisbane
• 2003: September, 2003 Hogarth Gallery Lockhart River Group Exhibition, Sydney
• 2003: October, “Kulam Kannga”, Columbus State University, Georgia USA
• 2003: November, “Kulam Kannga”, Kluge-Ruhe, Virginia USA
• 2004: “Hiƫng on and kicking on”, COCA/Kick Arts Contemporary Gallery, Cairns QLD
• 2004: August, “Ngi’ilu Paluku Ngi’iku, Our Way”, Framed Gallery, Darwin
• 2005: April, “Colour Fields”, Gondwana Gallery, Alice Springs Northern Territory
• 2005: April, “Affordable Art Fair”, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne
• 2005: April, “Hinchinbrook Exhibition”, COCA Gallery, Cairns
• 2005: May, “Australia: Different Sights/Different Sites”, Booker Lowe Gallery, Texas USA
• 2005: October, “Homefront”, Kick Arts Contemporary Gallery Cairns
• 2005: November, Group Exhibition, Framed Gallery, Darwin
• 2006: February – April, “Ancestral Spirits”, Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, Virginia, USA.
• 2006: March – April, “Carved From The Cape”, Australian Art Resources
• 2006: April, “Uncharted Territory”, October Gallery, London UK
• 2006: July, NAIDOC Week, “ShiŌing Tides Moving Sands”, Tanks Arts Cairns, Cairns QLD
• 2006: “Gatherings”, Kick Arts Contemporary Gallery, Cairns QLD
• 2006: July, “Festival Interceltique De Lorient”, Brittany, France
• 2006: August, “Big Country”, touring exhibition, Gondwana Gallery, Alice Springs Northern Territoty
• 2006: November – December, “Wrapped Up”, Group exhibitions, emerge ART SPACE, Perth WA
• 2007: June, “Looking Forward – Looking Back”, KickArts Contemporary gallery Cairns, QLD
• 2007: July, Framed Gallery, Darwin NT
• 2007: September 14 2007 – January 13 2008, “Lockhart River Art Gang”, Museum of Contemporary NaƟve Arts,
Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. The exhibition was supported by the Queensland Government, Australia through the
QLD Indigenous Arts Marketing Export Agency
• 2007: 1 November 2007 – 18 January 2008, “The Art Gang Returns:, Booker Lowe Gallery, Houston Texas USA
• 2008: February, “Cape to Cove”, Holmes a Court Gallery, Perth WA
• 2008: February, “Meenthama – Coming Out for Ceremony”, Woolloongabba Gallery, Brisbane QLD
• 2008: April, Indigenart Galleries Perth and Melbourne
• 2008: August, “Tchi’ilpu Wunch Wuncha Wulpa’amu: Old Man and Young Men Coming Together For Men’s
Business”, emerge ART SPACE, Perth WA
• 2009: March – June, “Some of us”, Tandanya Natonal Aboriginal Cultural institute Inc. Adelaide SA
• 2009: May, “Four of Us”, Woolloongabba Gallery, Brisbane QLD
• 2009: November, “Affordable/Collectable Lockhart River Show”, emerge ART Space, Perth WA
• 2010: Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, Cairns QLD
• 2010: 17 November 2010 – 23 January 2011, “Puuya Kuntha – Strong Heart”, Booker Lowe Gallery, Houston Texas
USA
• 2011: Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, Cairns QLD
• 2012: Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, Cairns QLD
• 2012: October – November, Art Atrium Gallery Sydney
• 2012: December 2012 – January 2913, “Land and Water/Ancient and Modern”, Booker Lowe Gallery, Houston
Texas USA
• 2012: December, “The Affordable/Collectible Lockhart River Show”, emerge ART SPACE, Perth WA
• 2013: August, “Kinship”, represented by the Indigenous Art Centre Alliance, Tanks Art Space, Perth WA
• 2014: July, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, Cairns QLD
2014: November-December, “Ngi’-Chu’uchi Minthama”, – A group exhibiƟon of exquisite miniatures by a
selection of arƟsts from the acclaimed Indigenous Art Community of Lockhart River in Far North Queensland.
Lockhart River Arts Indigenous Corporation – Silas Hobson Biography Page 3 of 4
emerge ART SPACE, Perth WA
• 2015: 5-27 June, Lockhart River Group ExhibiƟon, “Puunyas, Wungki and Malkari – basket, Skirts and Shake-aLeg”, Art Atrium Gallery, Sydney NSW
• 2015: July, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, Cairns QLD
• 2016: January, Lockhart River Group Exhibition, Art Mob Aboriginal Fine Art Gallery, Hobart Tasmania
• 2016: July, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, Cairns
• 2016: August, Lockhart River Group participation at Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair through Indigenous Art Centre
Alliance market Stall, Darwin NT
• 2017: January, Lockhart River, Group Exhibition, Art Mob Aboriginal Fine Art Gallery, Hobart Tasmania
• 2017: June, Lockhart River Group Exhibition, “Cape Country”, Art Mob Aboriginal Fine Art Gallery, Hobart
Tasmania
• 2017: July, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, Cairns QLD
• 2017: August, Group participation at the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, Darwin NT
• 2017: October 2017 to January 2018, Lockhart River Group Exhibition at Booker Lowe Gallery, Houston Texas USA
(Note: Silas Hobson attended the exhibition opening at Booker Lowe Gallery with artist Irene Namok and
Corporation Manager Enoch Perazim attended the Texas Exhibition opening on 21 October 2018)
• 2018: May-June, Lockhart River group exhibition, Art Atrium Gallery, Sydney NSW
• 2018: June, Selected combined group exhibition at Musee de l’art aborigene australien “La grange”, Switzerland.
A permanent collection exhibition featuring Lockhart River artists, Elcho Island artist, Tiwi Island artists and
Mornington Island artists. Lockhart River artists include Silas Hobson, Irene Namok, Fiona Omeenyo, Rosella
Namok and Patrick Butcher. Silas Hobson, Irene Namok and CorporaƟon Manager Enoch Perazim aƩended and
opened the exhibition in Switzerland on Saturday 02 June 2018
• 2018: June, Group exhibition, “Many Rivers To Cross”, Art Mob Aboriginal Fine Art Gallery, Hobart Tasmania
• 2018: July, Group exhibition, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, Cairns QLD
• 2018: August, Group exhibition, Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, Darwin NT
• 2019: January, Group exhibition, “Which Way”, Art Mob Aboriginal Fine Art Gallery, Hobart Tasmania
• 2019: July, Group exhibition, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, Cairns QLD
• 2019: August, Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, Darwin NT
• 2019: August 2019, Group Exhibition, “Overcoming Adversity”, Art Mob Aboriginal Fine Art Gallery, Hobart
Tasmania
• 2019: October 25, 4 selected ART GANG ArƟsts auction at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art at 111 Sturt
St, Southbank Victoria 3006, Australia. Other arƟsts included in the art auction were Fiona Omeenyo, Patrick
Butcher Jnr and Rosella Namok
• 2019: October 27, 4 selected ART GANG member group exhibition at Aboriginal Exhibitions Gallery at DeBORTLI
Rutherglen Estates in Victoria. ExhibiƟon Ɵtled “Waanta Mukana – Our many yarns, our many stories”
• 2020: March, Group exhibiƟon in Chengdu China. Group invited by Australian Consul General and DFAT. More
details to be published in October 2020 on Arts Centre’s website and Facebook page
Collections
• National Gallery of Australia
• Art Gallery of NSW
• Queensland Institute of Technology Odgeroo Collection
• Flinders University Collection
• ATSIC Permanent Collection, Canberra
• Woolongong University Permanent Collection
• Queensland Art Gallery
• Government House Brisbane, Queensland
• 2018: Permanent collection, Musee de l’art aborigene australien “La grange”, Switzerland
• 2019: July, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair
• 2019: August, Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair
• 2020: March, group exhibiƟon, Nomads Motel Cairns Conference Centre
• 2020: August-September, cairns Indigenous Art Fair Virtual Art Fair online
Awards
• 1997: “Rena Ellen Jones Award” – Sreen print “Hunting at Red Point Mouth’ Selected for exhibition
Lockhart River Arts Indigenous Corporation – Silas Hobson Biography Page 4 of 4
• 1997: Arts Office Queensland – personal development grant
• 1998: Part of a group entry won the national Heritage Commission
Art of Place”, Community Endeavour Award
• 1998: Fremantle Print Awards – Engraving “Stingray”,
• 2001: Cape York Awards, Laura FesƟval – 1st Place in Painting on bark
• 2014: Laura Festival 1st Prize Art Winner
Bibliographies
• 2014: Artworks published in the Indigenous Law Bulletin, September/October 2014, Volume 1
• 2015: Winner of the Cape York Established/Practising Artist Acquisitive Award – Laura Festival
Notes I have attended fine art workshops run by
• Yvonne Boag, 1997 and 1999
• Theo Tremblay, 1997 and 1999
• Basil Hall, 1997
• Leon Stainer, 1998
• Gary Shead and Adam Rish 1999
• Guy Warren, 1999
• Max Miller, 2002
• Melbourne Art Fair, 2002
• Yvonne Boag, 2003
• Mike Nicholls, 2003
• John Douglas, 2004
• Mike Nicholls, 2005