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Iwayi (Saltwater crocodile) 2019

Artwork Iwayi (Saltwater crocodile) this artwork made of Earthenware, hand-built terracotta clay with incised white slip, created in 2019-01-01
Accession No.
2019.148
Date Created
2019
Gallery location
On display in QAG Gallery 2
Department
Indigenous Australian Art
Dimensions A
61 x 14.5 x 14.5cm (irreg.)
Media Category
Ceramic
Secondary Media Category
earthenware
Medium
Earthenware, hand-built terracotta clay with incised white slip
Place Created
Coen
Credit Line
Purchased 2019. Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation

Naomi Hobson’s ceramic Iwayi vessels depict an important icon for the First Peoples of northern Australia. The saltwater crocodile is not only revered for being the dominant land-dwelling predator of this region, but also for its totemic ties to Aboriginal lore and being. 

Growing up in the rural town of Coen, Hobson has a connection to the Kaantju and Umpila peoples of the Far North Queensland river systems the Iwayi calls home. The artist pays homage to the crocodile’s appearance, carving its diamond-shaped scales sgraffito style into the surface of the vessel. Triangular protrusions around the necks represent the animal’s spiked back. Within these shapes, Hobson has incorporated the body-painting designs used on the east coast of the Cape York Peninsula in ceremonies held to celebrate the Iwayi.
 

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© Naomi Hobson

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Exhibitions featuring this object

Works by (l–r) Garry Namponan, Mick Namarari Tjapaltjarri, Craig Koomeeta and Jack Bell, installed at QAG for 'Great and Small', July 2025 / © The artists / Photograph: C Callistemon, QAGOMA

'Great and Small'

Jun 2025 - May 2027

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