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QUEENSLAND STATE LIBRARY

Brisbane, QLD, Australia

ARTIST Fiona Foley
ARTWORK Black Opium
CLIENT Queensland State Library
ARCHITECT Donovan Hill Architects
DESIGN UAP Studio
CONSTRUCTION UAP Workshop
YEAR 2008

Artist Fiona Foley creates a highly political yet visually engaging artwork in Black Opium. 777 cast aluminium poppies, configured in an infinity symbol, highlight the use of opium given to Aboriginal workers during white settlement. Each stem is made out of 1 of 4 moulds, hand finished and arranged randomly. The installation adorns the atrium space of Queensland’s new State Library.

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FIONA FOLEY

Artist

Fiona Foley, a Brisbane-based artist, stands at the forefront of cultural discourse in Australian contemporary art. Her site-specific sculptural installations are satirical, engaging and interactive. Foley’s work in the public realm draws heavily from a site’s historical and natural context and is often made out of bronze and aluminum. The artist’s most recognized public artworks include: Queensland State Library (2006); Brisbane Magistrates Court (2005); Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich, United Kingdom (2005); Melbourne Museum (1997), and Museum of Sydney (1994).

UAP PROJECTS
Mackay Bluewater Quay
Redfern Park
Queensland State Library
Hamilton Northshore Parkland

Fiona Foley, 'Black Opium' for Queensland State Library, Image by Scott Burrows Fiona Foley, 'Black Opium' for Queensland State Library, Image by Scott Burrows Fiona Foley, 'Black Opium' for Queensland State Library, Image by Scott Burrows Fiona Foley, 'Black Opium' for Queensland State Library, Image by Scott Burrows Poppies reference images: (L) by Magnus Manske, (R) courtesy the artist Fiona Foley, Bronze poppies editioned artwork, UAP Workshop Fiona Foley, 'Black Opium', Concept renders, Images by UAP Fiona Foley, 'Black Opium', Concept renders, Images by UAP Fiona Foley, 'Black Opium', Fabrication of individual poppies in UAP Workshop, Images by UAP Fiona Foley, 'Black Opium', Fabrication of individual poppies in UAP Workshop, Images by UAP
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