The Country Road + NGV First Nations Commissions is a biennial mentorship and exhibition program that pairs emerging Australian First Nations artists and designers with an esteemed industry mentor across each state and territory.
Over the past year, artists involved in the commission and mentorship program have used the opportunity to expand or refine their artistic paths. Sophie Honess, a Gomeroi Yinarr artist residing and creating on Gamilaroi Country in Tamworth, New South Wales, embraced the task of interpreting her ancestral land through her textile and weaving artistry. Her latest endeavor involved working with wool to create her most ambitious piece yet. Throughout this journey, Honess received guidance from Jonathan Jones, a contemporary artist of Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi descent.
Presented by Country Road, join Sophie and founder of Australian Indigenous Fashion community, Yatu Widders Hunt in a conversation that explores Sophie’s artistic practice and the making of her work for My Country.
ABOUT SOPHIE HONESS
Sophie Honess is a Gomeroi Yinarr artist based in Tamworth, New South Wales. She has been creating textile art professionally for the past five years. Her works respond to her immediate environment, finding and exploring hidden beauty on Gomeroi country through colour and texture. Sophie has been included in a number of group exhibitions and has held two solo exhibitions at Weswal Gallery, Tamworth, in 2023 and 2021. She was selected to participate in The 5th Tamworth Textile Triennial (2023) and is also a part of the weaving group Yinarr Maramali, a Gomeroi women cultural weaving collective.
ABOUT YATU WIDDERS HUNT
Yatu Widders Hunt is a descendant of the Dunghutti and Anaiwan peoples and is the General Manager at Indigenous social change agency, Cox Inall Ridgeway (CIR). Through CIR, Yatu has worked with Country Road for over three years, supporting their First Nations commitments and initiatives. Yatu has a strong background in public relations and journalism and has worked in lead communication roles in the public sector, including at the Federal Environment Department and National Mental Health Commission. She has also worked at National Indigenous Television and the Koori Mail. She founded the online community Australian Indigenous Fashion to celebrate First Nations fashion and arts practitioners, and also sits on the board of the Australian Fashion Council.
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