Katie Hagebols – Tales from Toppos

Forever inspired by a good story, ‘Tales from Toppos’ explores just that; from Mark A. Hunter’s Territory anthem of the Mary River, to a Mudcrab that journeyed across Darwin harbor and the real life tragedy of the Northern Quolls that very sadly, ‘bin die’ after years of anti-cane toad therapy.

Katie shines a light on her favourite ‘bushie stories’, that have accompanied her seven years in Kakadu, layering textures, inks and drawings onto topographical maps of the Kakadu, west Arnhem region.

Katie’s works acknowledge and show respect to those that share the same admiration of Country; from the beauty of Kym Brennan’s work in Wildflowers of Kakadu, to Mark A. Hunter’s lyrics and the many rangers who work hard at preserving the Country through natural resource management.

These works compliment one another through joy and colour, reflective of Katie’s personality, all the while expressing relationality and the dire need to continue caring for Country in this terrifying environmental crisis we found ourselves in, often through humor.