Concrete Playground

Political art is at its best when it not only gives expression to the ‘big questions’ facing a society, but also forces the audience to think about answering those questions. The work of Australian artist Fiona Foley does just that.

Hailing from Fraser Island, for the past two decades Fiona Foley’s work has focused on Australia’s complicated colonial history and its arguably more complicated present. The current exhibition at the MCA is the first in-depth solo exhibition of her work and demonstrates her considerable ability to fuse indigenous art with contemporary forms and concerns.

In one work, River of Corn, you’ll find yourself removing your shoes and wading through a room filled with yellow corn about one foot deep. The thick corn on the floor recalls the contours of the desert and the sensation is not unlike walking against a water current.  Another work, Land Deal, encompasses various mirrors, flour, scissors and tomahawks – just some of the objects that Lord Batman exchanged for the land we now know as Melbourne.

Like many contemporary artists, her practice encompasses painting, printmaking, photography and installation works, but often the focus is more on the idea expressed in the work than in stylistic labels. As in this case the focus is something we can all relate to, our shared history, Forbidden makes for a very thought-provoking experience.