In July this year, Nanda\Hobbs will be in residence at Madeline Gordon Gallery. Straight from the Nanda\Hobbs stable, including finalists in this year’s Archibald Prize, the carefully curated exhibition will be selected from some of Australia’s most exciting contemporary artists. Nanda\Hobbs has a strong focus on technical rigour, with major works recognised in private and public collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria, and the Art Gallery NSW. James Drinkwater, recently shown at the prestigious Armoury show in New York and Nicholas Blowers—winner of the 2024 Glover Prize, will also be included. HOME COMING will be one of the best opportunities for Tasmanian locals to witness the cutting-edge presence of Australia’s leading artists, right on their very doorstep.

For two of the directors of Nanda\Hobbs, one of Australia’s leading commercial art galleries, this is a homecoming. Ralph and Sophie Hobbs left Launceston in July 1998 for Sydney; both having studied fine arts at the University of Tasmania. The Hobbs’ have a deep affinity and connection with Northern Tasmania, returning several times a year for family gatherings, painting expeditions, fly fishing, and Tasmania’s famous produce. Ralph Hobbs, who completed a Masters covering historical investigations into the Tasmanian landscape, holds what can only be described as a life-long passion for the place he calls home, unabated in the decades since travelling north. Ralph was a teacher at Launceston Grammar, the college of Tasmanian artists Katy Woodroffe and Helene Weeding, and taught Madeline Gordon. He was also one of the judges of this year’s Glover Prize.