Fiona Foley facts for kids

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

She uses many different ways to make art. These include painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, and textiles. Her art often talks about important political issues that Indigenous Australians face today. You can find her artworks in many public collections in Australia and even at the British Museum in London. Fiona's art has traveled around the world and been shown in big exhibitions. These include Global Feminisms at the Brooklyn Museum and World of Dreamings at Russia's Hermitage Museum.

About Fiona Foley

Fiona Foley was born in Maryborough in 1964. She grew up nearby in Hervey Bay. She went to high school in Sydney and then studied art. In 1986, she earned a Bachelor of Visual Arts from the Sydney College of the Arts, Sydney University. She was one of the first Indigenous students there.

Fiona's mother, Shirley Foley, was a member of the Wondunna clan of the Badtjala people. They are the traditional owners of K'gari, also known as Fraser Island. In 1988, her mother started a cultural center on the island. Shirley Foley spent 20 years studying and writing down the Badjala language and culture. She even published a Badtjala/English dictionary. Her mother's strong pride in her culture and love for learning greatly influenced Fiona.

Since 1985, Fiona has worked closely with Indigenous communities in central Australia. She spent time in places like Maningrida and Ramingining in Arnhem Land. These trips taught her a lot about Aboriginal culture. They also inspired her to become a cultural leader. In 1995, Fiona moved back to Hervey Bay to be with her family. She also helped with Native Title talks about part of Fraser Island. These talks were successful.

In 2017, Fiona earned her Ph.D. Her research looked at an old law called the Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897. Many of her artworks refer to this law and how it affected the Badtjala people. Her Ph.D. research was later published as a book called Biting the Clouds. This book won an award in 2021.

Fiona's Art and Career

Working with communities is very important to Fiona's art. She helped create urban Australian Indigenous Art. She was part of the Koori '84 art show. She also helped start artist groups like the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative. Fiona has also helped organize art shows. In 1994, she co-curated Tyerabarrbowaryaou II for the Havana Biennial. This was the first international show organized by Indigenous Australians.

Political issues are a big part of Fiona's art. Her public artworks often explore and share forgotten histories of Australia's past. One example is Edge of the Trees (1995), which she made with Janet Laurence. This was a major public artwork by both an Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian artist. It won an award in 1995. The artwork uses both Western and Indigenous symbols. It shows the historical conflicts that happened where the Museum of Sydney now stands.

Fiona's artworks like Land Deal (1995) and Lie of the Land (1997) remind us of a land deal that was unfair. It was made by John Batman for land where Melbourne is today. Similarly, Witnessing to Silence (2004) remembers all the known massacres of Indigenous people in Queensland. It lists 94 such places. By showing these works in art galleries, Fiona wants to make sure these important Australian histories are not forgotten.

Sometimes, Fiona's art is more playful or uses humor to make a point. She uses old images that sometimes showed Indigenous people in a disrespectful way. She changes them to show how wrong these ideas were. By putting herself in her art, Fiona takes back control of how Indigenous people are shown. Works like Native Blood (1994) and Badtjala Woman (1994) challenge old, "scientific" images. They also highlight how Western culture sometimes used Indigenous culture just for its look.

Connecting to her home is a strong theme in Fiona's art. Themes of nature, like sand and sea, are often seen in her paintings. They show how important her family ties to Thoorgine (Fraser Island) are. The Legends of Moonie Jarl, a book written by her aunt and uncle in the 1960s, tells many Badtjala creation stories. These stories describe the animals, plants, and weather of the island. This book, her mother, and her time in Arnhem Land are big influences on Fiona's 2D art.

Works like Men's Business (1987–89) and Catching Tuna (1992) show Fiona's experiences visiting communities in the Northern Territory. These paintings often have a simple, flat style and use symbols. They often show things from an aerial view, like looking down from above. This style helps to tell a story of myth, memory, and dreams. It also helps to reclaim symbols and stories that were once taken or erased.

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. These include her desire for fairness, her wish to tell hidden histories, her family memories, and her love for Aboriginal culture.

In 2020, Fiona won an award from the State Library of Queensland. This was for her project Bogimbah Creek Mission: The First Aboriginal Experiment. From this research, Fiona wrote a book and gave a lecture on the topic.

Fiona'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