FAFSWAG is an arts collective of

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

and

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

LGBTQI+ artists and activists founded in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

in 2013. They explore and celebrate the unique identity of gender fluid Pacific people and LGBTQI+ communities in multi-disciplinary art forms. In 2020 FAFSWAG was awarded an Arts Laureate from the New Zealand Arts Foundation, and they also represented New Zealand at the

Biennale of Sydney The Biennale of Sydney is an international festival of contemporary art, held every two years in Sydney, Australia. It is a large and well-attended contemporary visual arts event in the country. Alongside the Venice and São Paulo biennales a ...

Background

Early years

Pati Solomona Tyrell Pati Solomona Tyrell (born 11 August 1992) is an interdisciplinary artist from New Zealand who focuses on performance, videography and photography. Tyrell is a founding member of art collective FAFSWAG. In 2018 Tyrell became the youngest nomin ...

and Tanu Gago formed the FAFSWAG arts collective in 2013. The collective grew from a photography project of Gago's that was a part of university course work. FAFSWAG create art and experiences in many different art forms with a strong online focus. Their goal is to "celebrate Queer Brown bodies, contemporary Pacific arts, and cultural restoration". FAFSWAG state they are committed to social change. The art projects of the collective focus on challenging the lack of Indigenous LGBQI representation in creative industries and the fluid gender spectrum in Pacific culture. The collective's name is a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsfa'afafine and

swag Swag, SWAG, or Swagg may refer to: Terms and slang * Swag (motif) or festoon, a wreath or garland or a carving depicting foliage and ribbons ** Swag, fabric dressing for a window valance * Swag, stolen goods, in 1800s thieves cant * Swag (pro ...

. Initially there were ten artists in the collective. By 2020 FAFSWAG artists numbered 12 including: Jermaine Dean, Falencie Filipo, Tapuaki Helu, Elyssia Wilson Heti, Nahora Ioane, Hōhua Ropate Kurene, Moe Laga, Ilalio Loau, Tim Swann and James Waititi in addition to the founders Tyrell and Gago. The first FAFSWAG Aitu Ball was held in

South Auckland South Auckland is an imprecisely defined urban area of Auckland, New Zealand, with a young population, a relatively large Polynesian and Māori demographic, and lower incomes than other parts of Auckland. The name ''South Auckland'', though not ...

in 2013, however from 2016 balls have been held in central Auckland. The FAFSWAG ball promotes the 'queer brown community' and the dance form

vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

that originated in New York amongst marginalised African American queer communities. The ball is an inclusive space that celebrates the cultures of Māori and Pacific and invites participation from others, "whether you're Asian or Indian or Pākehā: there’s a place for you in that space as well.”

Artist residencies and international productions

The collective was the 2017 Company in Residence at

Basement Theatre The Basement Theatre is an Auckland theatre founded by Charlie McDermott in 2008. The theatre focuses on providing a venue for young people in the performing arts to enter the industry. Their priorities are making theatre accessible for both ...

, and were the winners of the 2017 Auckland Theatre Award for best overall body of work. In 2018, FAFSWAG held a ball at the

Auckland Art Gallery Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is the principal public gallery in Auckland, New Zealand. It has the most extensive collection of national and international art in New Zealand and frequently hosts travelling international exhibitions. Set be ...

. In 2019, founder Tanu Gago was awarded the

New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for those ...

for services to art and the LGBTIQ+ community. The artistic practice of the collective has been impacted by the COVID epidemic. In 2020 a production ''Fa'aafa'' was scheduled in

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

at HAU Hebbel am Ufer before being cancelled due to the epidemic. The name ''Fa'aafa'' is a Samoan term recognising a third gender, and the production combined poetry from

Tusiata Avia Donna Tusiata Avia (born 1966) is a New Zealand poet and children's author. Background Avia was born and raised in Christchurch, New Zealand. Her father is Samoan and her mother is Palagi (New Zealand European). Avia graduated from the Univ ...

, 'adornment of voguing', movement and sound. For their Sydney Biennale project in 2020 FAFSWAG were required to re-vision their project as an online production due to COVID restrictions. The resulting project was named ''CODESWITCH: Relearn, Reimagine, Recreate – a FAFSWAG Manifesto for the 22nd Biennale of Sydney.'' The production was made up of a number of works including ''Protection'' (2020) by Nahora Ioane and Tanu Gago, created in response to the criminalisation of homosexuality in the Cook Islands; ''Whānau Ariki'' (2020) by Amy Lautogo, Ria Hiroki and Elyssia Wilson Heti, a 'game-like experience of dressing a woman' aimed at decolonizing the bodies of the artists; and ''M A T A L A'' by artists Hohua Ropate Kurene and Tapuaki Helu, a series of photographs of men and flowers with themes of manhood, identity, sexuality and intimacy. FAFSWAG have collaborated with

Liam Finn Liam Mullane Finn (born 24 September 1983) is a New Zealand singer and musician. Born in Melbourne, Australia, he moved to New Zealand as a child. He is the son of musicians Sharon and Neil Finn. In 2020, he joined his father's band, Crowde ...

and

Neil Finn Neil Mullane Finn (born 27 May 1958) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician who is known for being a member of Crowded House, Split Enz (which he co-fronted with brother Tim), and Fleetwood Mac. Finn rose to prominence in the late ...

on a music video, and have presented productions or exhibitions at the

, the

Auckland War Memorial Museum The Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira (or simply the Auckland Museum) is one of New Zealand's most important museums and war memorials. Its collections concentrate on New Zealand history (and especially the history of the Auck ...

, Artspace Aotearoa,

Māngere Arts Centre - Ngā Tohu o Uenuku Māngere Arts Centre - Ngā Tohu o Uenuku is an Auckland Council-owned and operated arts venue in the suburb of Māngere, in Auckland, New Zealand. The purpose-built facility was opened in 2010, and is considered by Auckland Council to be the h ...

, and the

Centre of Contemporary Art Centre of Contemporary Art (CoCA, formerly the Canterbury Society of Arts) is a curated art gallery in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand. The gallery is administered by the Canterbury Society of Arts (CSA) Charitable Trust. Quarte ...

, Christchurch. In 2022 FAFSWAG were invited to be part of

documenta fifteen Documenta fifteen is the 15th edition of documenta, a contemporary art exhibition held in Kassel, Germany between June and September 2022. Overview Documenta is a major contemporary art exhibition held every five years in Kassel, Germany. Wh ...

in Kassel, Germany. The lack of New Zealand press coverage of this event was discussed in research influencing the development of new arts policy in New Zealand.

Artistry

FAFSWAG is inspired by

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Ball culture The Ballroom Scene (also known as the Ballroom community, Ballroom culture, or just Ballroom) is an African-American and Latino underground LGBTQ+ subculture that originated in New York City. Beginning in the late 20th century, Black and Lati ...

. Founder Tanu Gago felt that queer spaces for Pasifika can act as a counter to traditional Pasifika voices in the community, which tend to be older, more conservative and more religious.

Exhibitions & works

*2013: Te Puke o Tara Community Centre, FAFSWAG's first vogue ball *2015: Studio One Toi Tū *2016: Family Bar, Karangahape Road *2017: FAFSWAG became the company in residence at

*2017: Artspace Aotearoa *2017: ''Making Space: FAFSWAG,''

COCA Coca is any of the four cultivated plants in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America. Coca is known worldwide for its psychoactive alkaloid, cocaine. The plant is grown as a cash crop in the Argentine Northwest, Bolivia, ...

(Centre of Contemporary Art) *2018: Auckland Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira Late at the Museum event, Explicit Inclusion Identity. *2018:

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is the principal public gallery in Auckland, New Zealand. It has the most extensive collection of national and international art in New Zealand and frequently hosts travelling international exhibitions. Set b ...

, documentary launch *2018: ''FAFSWAG Aitu Ball'' Raynham Park Studio,

Karangahape Road Karangahape Road (commonly known as K' Road) is one of the main streets in the central business district (CBD) of Auckland, New Zealand. The massive expansion of motorways through the nearby inner city area – and subsequent flight of resident ...

, Auckland *2018/19: FAFSWAGVOGUE.COM – an online interactive documentary about Auckland's dance vogue culture, directed by Tanu Gago, produced by Piki Films, and featured at the

Centre Pompidou The Centre Pompidou (), more fully the Centre national d'art et de culture Georges-Pompidou ( en, National Georges Pompidou Centre of Art and Culture), also known as the Pompidou Centre in English, is a complex building in the Beaubourg area of ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

in 2018 *2019: ''Where's My Room'' 7min music video in collaboration with

Neil Neil is a masculine name of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish ''Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. A ...

and

directed by Sam Kristofski and choreographed by Pati Solomona Tyrell *2020: ''CODESWITCH: Relearn, Reimagine, Recreate – a FAFSWAG Manifesto for the 22nd Biennale of Sydney'', 22nd

Sydney Biennale The Biennale of Sydney is an international festival of contemporary art, held every two years in Sydney, Australia. It is a large and well-attended contemporary visual arts event in the country. Alongside the Venice and São Paulo biennales a ...

*2020:

, representing New Zealand *2020: HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Berlin

Awards

*2017: Auckland Theatre Award for best overall body of work *2020: Arts Foundation Laureate 2020 – Interdisciplinary Arts

References

External links

Fafswagvogue.com
{{Authority control 2013 establishments in New Zealand 21st-century New Zealand artists 21st-century New Zealand dancers New Zealand artist groups and collectives Arts organizations established in 2013 Ball culture Fa'afafine LGBT and multiculturalism New Zealand LGBT artists LGBT arts organizations LGBT organisations in New Zealand LGBT culture in Auckland New Zealand contemporary artists Organisations based in Auckland Performance artist collectives Polynesian-New Zealand culture in Auckland Subcultures Transgender in Oceania