Tapestry by Sean Hogan draws on Footscray’s rich and diverse community as the foundation for a new series of abstract artworks. Hogan transforms statistical birthplace data into a vivid and poetic visualisation of shared belonging.

The work reinterprets data from the 2021 Census, mapping Footscray’s proudly diverse identity through an innovative fusion of geometry and cultural heritage.

Hogan translates local demographic data into a visual language by extracting the exact colours from the national flags representing each resident’s country of birth. These colours are meticulously woven into a linear composition, scaled and proportioned to reflect the many voices of the people who call Footscray home.

The resulting artwork becomes a striking geometric archive — a snapshot in which individual cultural frequencies converge into a singular visual landscape. Tapestry ultimately serves as both a mirror of the community and an invitation to consider the interconnected patterns that emerge when diverse cultures live alongside one another.

Installed across multiple formats, the exhibition extends beyond the gallery walls and into the public realm. A large-scale printed banner will be draped across the full length of the gallery space, accompanied by a series of eight Giclée prints that further articulate the work’s rhythmic geometric language. Expansive lightbox works installed on the gallery exterior will illuminate one of Footscray’s busiest intersections — the corner of Hopkins and Leeds Street — bringing the project directly into the everyday fabric of the suburb and reinforcing its connection to the surrounding community.

Tapestry will launch in conjunction with Cine Redux on 5 June (5–9pm) at Trocadero Arcade and Five Walls Gallery, 119 Hopkins Street, Footscray.
 

CineRedux: Footscray Reimagined

A journey through Footscray’s cinematic past and its creative present. Hosted by Five Walls Gallery and Arcade Projects, CineRedux: Footscray Reimagined blends history, film, and contemporary art to revisit the suburb’s once-vibrant cinema culture through archival materials, local stories, and new artistic responses.

Held across two weekends — June 5, 2026, and July 26, 2026 — and centred around the historic Trocadero Arcade, CineRedux will present an immersive evening of art, projections, and live performances spanning the arcade, Five Walls Gallery and the building’s exterior. Highlights include a series of lightboxes titled Tapestry by local artist Sean Hogan, with performances by Footscray musicians Artificial Limb (Marc Eiden) and Ivofonic (Ivano Abram).

The celebrations begin on June 5, with the project extending into Melbourne Open House Weekend on July 26, featuring guided tours and guest talks that bring Footscray’s forgotten theatres back to life, as artists reimagine how moving images continue to shape the suburb’s cultural identity today.

This project is proudly supported by Maribyrnong City Council through the Love Your West grant.

see also Arcade Projects