ALTERATION BY FAFSWAG PRESENTED BY THE SUBSTATION

Meeting at the intersections of cultural archival practices, digital technology and queer Indigenous storytelling, Alteration presents a glimpse into the shapeshifting practice of FAFSWAG, an Aotearoa-based queer Polynesian arts collective.

Compiling a decade of artistic output, with two years of co-design, co-curation, research and production, this show presents a mixed media archival exhibition of significant works from the collective from 2013 to now.

Contemplating ancestry and legacy, reclaiming stolen narratives, speculating fictional futures, and redefining the cultural image of queer Pacific bodies living on stolen land, Alteration seeks to break down predictable, fixed colonial narratives.

Alteration is FAFSWAG’s landmark Australian show created by Jermaine Dean, Falencie Filipo, Tanu Gago, Tapuaki Helu, Elyssia Wilson Heti, Nahora Ioane, Hōhua Ropate Kurene, Moe Laga-Toleafoa, Ilalia Loau, Tim Swann, Pati Solomona Tyrell and James Waititi. Curated collaboratively by FAFSWAG members Tanu Gago, Elyssia Wilson-Heti, Pati Tyrell and James Waititi with The Substation team, Nuala Furtado and Shae Rooke.

Selected works from FAFSWAG's 'Alteration' are on display at Footscray Community Arts Centre. Artworks are located across the Riverside Lawn, Myrtle Cafe, Lawn River & Pier and the Weaving Sustainable Futures garden.