Overview
Background
Dr Foley has a national and international profile as a leading contemporary artist and historian. Her work has produced substantial new knowledge around the Queensland Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act (1897), and her numerous exhibitions have shared this knowledge with audiences across the globe. Fiona has exhibited a total of 50 solo exhibitions and 175 group shows; created 14 public art commissions, and her art works are held in 23 collections including The British Museum and the Hood Museum of Art in New Hampshire, USA.
Her work comes with a string of accolades. Her monograph Biting the Clouds: A Badtjala perspective on the Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act was awarded the Queensland Premier’s Award for a Work of State Significance in 2021, alongside a Highly Commended in the 2022 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. In recognition of her very fine achievements, Fiona has been elected an Honorary Fellow in the Australian Academy of the Humanities.
Most recently, Fiona was awarded a DECRA for her project, “Investigating the Agency of Aboriginal Frontier War Memorials”.
Availability
- Dr Fiona Foley is:
- Available for supervision
Qualifications
- Certificate of Visual Arts, East Sydney Technical College
- Honorary Fellow, Australian Academy of the Humanities, Australian Academy of the Humanities
Research interests
-
Investigating the agency of Aboriginal Frontier War memorials
DE230101072 This project aims to unite conflicting versions of Australian history by investigating the impact and effectiveness of Australian Aboriginal Frontier War memorials. It will expand our understanding of the shared sacrifices by First Nation and settler Australians during the frontier war and demonstrated the reconciliatory potential of memorialising art informed by Indigenous oral history and creative arts research and practice. The social and cultural benefits include developing a new understanding of historical construction of Australian national identity and the potential of Indigenous art to transform the function of Australian military monuments as well as a permanent archive of short documentary films and publication.
Works
Search Professor Fiona Foley’s works on UQ eSpace
1997
Journal Article
A blast from the past
Foley, Fiona (1997). A blast from the past. Periphery, 31, 5-7.
1996
Journal Article
Where the salt water meets the fresh water
Foley, Fiona (1996). Where the salt water meets the fresh water. Periphery, 27, 20-23.
1994
Journal Article
Traditional boundaries: new perspectives
Foley, Fiona (1994). Traditional boundaries: new perspectives. Periphery, 18, 8-10.
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Fiona Foley is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Investigating the Agency of Aboriginal Frontier War Memorials
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Marguerite La Caze
-
Master Philosophy
Through a Glass, Darkly: A Novella and Accompany Exegesis
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Helen Marshall, Associate Professor Maggie Nolan
-
Master Philosophy
World War I and the Stolen Generation
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Martin Crotty
Media
Enquiries
For media enquiries about Dr Fiona Foley's areas of expertise, story ideas and help finding experts, contact our Media team: