Originally formed on Gadigal Country, Sydney, by trans-disciplinary artists Justin Talplacido Shoulder and Bhenji Ra, Club Ate is a collaboration inspired by their shared Filipino heritage, immersion in Gadigal’s underground nightlife and queer communities, and an interest in the body as a tool for transformation.
Ex Nilalang, episodes 1 – 4 — ‘Nilalang’ means both ‘to create’ and ‘creature’ — is an ongoing series of video works conceived as an ‘archive of queer identities’. Created between 2015 and 2017, the different episodes engage with various Filipino mythological, ancestral or pop cultural beings to reflect the lived experiences of the collaborators. Stories previously used by colonial forces to ‘other’ LGBTQIA+ communities are reconfigured to assert a more inclusive world view.
Club Ate : Ex Nilalang, episodes 1 – 4 is presented in partnership with the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and with the generous support of TLE Electricals.
