Samantha Hobson / Kuuku Ya’u people / Australia b.1981 / Burn grass season 2002 / Synthetic polymer paint, pigment and polyurethane glaze on canvas / 124 x 188cm / Purchased 2003. The Queensland Government’s special Centenary Fund / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Samantha Hobson

Samantha Hobson
Burn grass season 2002

Not Currently on Display

Burn grass season 2002 depicts a land burn-off around Lockhart River following the wet season. In this annual process, rich undergrowth is burnt to reduce the risk of bushfire which can devastate the landscape. During pre-contact times, Indigenous people preserved the land through the periodic use of fire, and this ancient ritual of burning off was in keeping with the natural cycle of the land.

It is still a crucial practice today and ensures the growth of new vegetation and sufficient sustenance for animals in order to support year-round hunting. In the long term, it contributes to the well-being and safety of the community.

Using vibrant colour and gestural brushwork, Samantha Hobson articulates the intensity of the burning-off ritual; at the same time, she comments on the catastrophic effects of violence on her people.

Samantha Hobson is a member of the Kuuku Ya’u people; Kuuku Ya’u means sand beach. She is one member of an internationally recognised group of artists known as the Lockhart River Art Gang, who are based in the remote Cape York community of Lockhart River.

The forms of expression cultivated by the Lockhart artists reflect the unique identity and culture of the sand beach people. Their art is distinct from that of other Indigenous artists, and is a contemporary response to their unique environment, culture and traditions.

Hobson, who joined the group in 1996 after completing tertiary studies in Cairns, is primarily a painter. In her work, she expresses both the strength and the influence of traditional culture and values, as well as some of the everyday realities of life in her community.

Discussion Questions

1. Many cultures observe events and rituals at specific times and places. What rituals do you, your family or your community observe and perform?

2. Samantha Hobson’s painting may evoke feelings of tension, and possibly even despair. Can you comment on the use of fire as a metaphor in this painting? Does this metaphor help to convey the artist’s message?

Classroom Activities

1. Using gestural brushstrokes and vibrant colour, create a painting that represents a ritual with which you can identify.

2. In her work, Samantha Hobson uses the metaphor of fire to comment on the effects of destructive behaviour on her community. Create a painting that uses a metaphor to reinforce the message of your work.