Fiona Foley facts for kids

Fiona Foley (born 1964) is a famous Indigenous Australian artist. She comes from K'gari (Fraser Island), Queensland. Fiona is known for being a leader in art, culture, and her community. She also helped start the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative.

Fiona uses many different art forms. These include painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, and textiles. Her art often talks about important issues facing Indigenous Australians today. Her works are kept in many art collections. These include major Australian galleries and the British Museum in London. Fiona's art has been shown all over the world. It has been part of big exhibitions like Global Feminisms and World of Dreamings.

About Fiona Foley

Early Life and Education

Fiona Foley was born in Maryborough in 1964. She grew up in nearby Hervey Bay. She went to high school in Sydney with her brothers and sisters. In 1983, she earned a Certificate of Arts.

Fiona was one of the first Indigenous students at the Sydney College of the Arts. This is part of Sydney University. She finished her Bachelor of Visual Arts degree in 1986. The next year, she also earned a Diploma of Education.

Family and Cultural Roots

Fiona's mother, Shirley Foley, was born in Urangan. She was a member of the Wondunna clan of the Badtjala people. The Badtjala are the traditional owners of K'gari, also known as Fraser Island.

In 1988, Shirley Foley started a cultural center on the island. She spent 20 years studying and writing down the Badjala language and culture. This led to a Badtjala/English dictionary. Her mother's strong cultural pride and love for learning greatly influenced Fiona.

Connecting with Communities

Since 1985, Fiona has worked closely with Indigenous communities. She spent time in Maningrida and Ramingining in Arnhem Land. In 1992, Fiona and her mother visited Maningrida. They helped create a cultural exchange between the local people and the Badtjala people.

These trips taught Fiona a lot about Aboriginal culture. They inspired her to become a cultural leader. In 1995, Fiona moved back to Hervey Bay permanently. She wanted to be with her family and help with Native Title talks for Fraser Island. These talks were successful by 2014.

Advanced Studies and Research

In 2017, Fiona Foley earned her PhD degree. Her research looked at the Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897. This was a law from 1897 that affected Indigenous people. Many of her artworks refer to this law and its impact on the Badtjala people.

Her PhD paper was later published as a book called Biting the Clouds. This book won an important award in 2021.

Fiona Foley's Art and Career

Working with Communities

Working with communities is very important to Fiona's art. She helped develop urban Australian Indigenous Art. She was part of the Koori '84 art show. After this, she helped start several artist groups. One was the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative.

She also helped create art exchanges between the Badtjala people and artists from Maningrida and Ramingining. More recently, Fiona has also helped organize art exhibitions. In 1994, she helped organize Tyerabarrbowaryaou II - I shall never become a white man. This was the first international art show organized by Indigenous Australians.

Art About History and Politics

Fiona's art often focuses on political issues. Her public artworks and installations aim to show forgotten histories of colonization in Australia. An example is Edge of the Trees from 1995. This was a collaboration with Janet Laurence. It was the first major public artwork by both an Indigenous and a non-Indigenous Australian artist.

This artwork uses both Western and Indigenous symbols. It shows the historical conflicts that happened where the Museum of Sydney now stands. This was once Australia’s first Government House. The artwork includes special poles that remember the violence that happened when settlers first arrived.

Fiona’s works Land Deal (1995) and Lie of the Land (1997) are also important. They remind us of John Batman’s old treaty for land where Melbourne now stands. This treaty was based on false ideas and is no longer valid.

Similarly, Witnessing to Silence (2004) remembers all known massacres of Indigenous people in Queensland. It lists 94 such places. The bodies at these sites were often hidden by burning or putting them in water. Fiona was clever to get this artwork installed. She told the people who ordered it that it was about natural events like fire and flood. The true meaning was only revealed after it was put in place.

Her work Black Opium (2006) explores history, memory, and politics. It includes sculptures and photographs. It refers to the Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897. It also shows how the British opium trade affected Chinese and Indigenous communities. By showing these works in art institutions, Fiona wants to make sure these difficult Australian histories are remembered.

Playful and Challenging Art

Sometimes, Fiona's art is more playful or uses humor to make a point. She uses old images of Indigenous people that were often disrespectful. She turns these images around to criticize how Indigenous people were shown. Fiona puts herself in charge of the story. She fixes power imbalances and re-tells history.

Works like Native Blood (1994) and Badtjala Woman (1994) challenge old "scientific" images. They show how Western culture sometimes made Indigenous culture seem exotic or used it for its own purposes.

Connection to Place

Connection to nature is a big part of Fiona’s art. Themes of sand and sea are often seen in her paintings. They show her deep connection to her family's ancestral land, K'gari (Fraser Island).

The Legends of Moonie Jarl is a book from the 1960s. It was written and illustrated by Fiona’s aunt and uncle. It tells many Badtjala creation stories about the island's animals, plants, and weather. This book, her mother, and her time in Arnhem Land are big inspirations for Fiona's art.

Works like Men's Business (1987–89), Catching Tuna (1992), and Salt Water Islands (1992) show Fiona's experiences. They reflect her visits to remote communities in the Northern Territory. These works often use simple shapes and flat colors. They show a bird's-eye view. This style helps create a feeling of myth, memory, and dreams. Politically, this art helps reclaim symbols, stories, and cultures that were once taken or erased.

Recent Activities

In 2013, Fiona Foley was interviewed for the State Library of Queensland's James C Sourris AM Collection. She talked about her life as an artist and what inspires her. She spoke about her desire for justice, telling hidden histories, family memories, and her love for Aboriginal culture.

In 2020, Fiona received a special award from the State Library of Queensland. This was the Monica Clare Research Fellowship. Her project was about "Bogimbah Creek Mission: The First Aboriginal Experiment" and "The Magna Carta Tree." From this research, Fiona published a book called Bogimbah Creek Mission: the First Aboriginal Experiment. She also gave a lecture about her findings.

Fiona Foley's art is shown by Niagara Galleries in Melbourne.

Selected Artworks

• Annihilation of the Blacks, 1986
• Eliza’s rat traps, 1991
• Lost Badtjalas, Severed Hair, 1991
• Native Blood, 1994
• Badtjala Woman, 1994
• Land Deal, 1995
• Edge of the Trees (with Janet Laurence), 1995
• HHH, 2004
• Witnessing to Silence, 2004
• Nulla 4 eva, 2009