1. T H E E D G E O F T R E E S
H H H
&
T H E A N N I H I L A T I O N O F T H E B L A C K S
Fiona Foley

2. The Edge of Trees

3. The Edge of Trees
 The name of the sculpture comes from an essay by
historian Rhys Jones „Ordering the Landscape‟ in I & T
Donaldson‟s Seeing the First Australians, Sydney 1985:
 “… The „discoverers‟ struggling through the surf were
met on the beaches by other people looking at them from
the edge of the trees. Thus the same landscape
perceived by the newcomers as alien, hostile or having
no coherent form, was to the indigenous people their
home, a familiar place, the inspiration of dreams.”

4. The Edge of Trees

5. The Edge of Trees

6. The Edge of Trees

7. The Edge of Trees

8. The Edge of Trees
 The Significance of Materials
 What are the materials used?
 What do or can they represent conceptually?
 Why is the shape and texture of these materials important?

9. HHH

10. HHH

11. HHH

12. HHH
 HHH stands for the “Hedonistic Honky Haters”
 Role reversal of black African Americans on the KKK
or Ku Klux Klan, that were an anonymous group of
racists that were responsible for the murder of many,
many African Americans.
 Traditional tribal African textiles designs make the
work appear beautiful, inviting.
 Foley is included in the work, arms folded in the
front.
 A subversive response to American racial politics
while in New York.

13. HHH
 Questions
 How is Foley „inverting‟ racism in HHH?
 Identify and discuss how Foley uses humour in HHH to convey
the political subject matter.
 Think upon the text „To Kill A Mockingbird‟ and how race
relations have been explored. How does Foley investigate these
ideas in the HHH series?

14. The Annihilation of the Blacks

15. The Annihilation of the Blacks
 The arrangement of the structure from which the black figure hang
by their necks, is similar to that of a traditional shelter.
 It is visually similar to the public ceremonial sculptures such as
Bonefish Story Place (1994) by Arthur Koo-Ekka Pambegan
Junior.
 The physical appearance of the „doll‟ like figures, is appropriated
from a traditional sculptural form found in Cape York.

16. The Annihilation of the Blacks
 Relates to the Susan River massacres, a tributary of the
Mary River, the story of which was pass on as Badtjala
oral history to Foley‟s Mother as a child.
 The work was created and purchased by the National
Museum of Australia when Foley was still a student.
 The timing of the work, also suggests issues of deaths in
custody.
 Foley‟s reference to a traditional sculptural form, which
suggests abundance, wealth and prosperity, then cause
the audience to consider that non-Indigenous Australia
relies on the destruction of Aboriginal society.