PROJECT Queensland State Library
LOCATION Brisbane, Australia
CLIENT Queensland Government
ARCHITECT Donovan Hill
ARTWORK Black Opium
ARTIST Fiona Foley

Prominent Aboriginal artist, Fiona Foley, was awarded a commission at Queensland's new State Library in Brisbane scheduled to open later this year. Her design consists of 777 cast aluminium poppies configured in an infinity symbol to be suspended from the ceiling. It references a referendum banning colonists feeding cocaine to Indigenous workers. The installation will be placed in the library's main atrium. Foley's design mirrors the institution's intent on being a contemporary cultural destination. The library will showcase a state-of-the-art reference centre as well as unique heritage collections (past and present).