Gary Foley (b. 1950) is an Indigenous activist and historian. He has written extensively on Indigenous political movements and maintains the Koori History Website, an intensive history archive and education resource. Born in Grafton, NSW of Gumbainggir descent, at seventeen Foley moved to Sydney. Not long after, he was strongly influenced by the biography of African-American human rights activist Malcolm X. Foley was instrumental in establishing Sydney’s Aboriginal Legal Service and Aboriginal Medical Service, and in 1972 he was prominent at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra. He is an advocate of Indigenous creative culture and toured films on Aboriginal Australia to Europe in 1978. The first Indigenous Director of the Aboriginal Arts Board, he was Senior Curator for Southeastern Australia at Museum Victoria from 2001 to 2005. Since 2005 Foley has lectured and undertaken postgraduate research at the University of Melbourne.
Juno Gemes took this photograph at La Perouse, NSW on the Bicentennial Australia Day, 26 January 1988.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2004
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
© Juno Gemes/Copyright Agency, 2021
Juno Gemes (19 portraits)
On one level The Companion talks about the most famous and frontline Australians, but on another it tells us about ourselves: who we read, who we watch, who we listen to, who we cheer for, who we aspire to be, and who we'll never forget. The Companion is available to buy online and in the Portrait Gallery Store.
Portraits from The Movement is the first comprehensive survey of photographs from the Juno Gemes archive, which has supported the Aboriginal struggle for justice in Australia from 1978 to the present day.
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