Early years Pati Solomona Tyrell and
Tanu Gago formed the FAFSWAG arts collective in 2013. 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.
Artist residencies and international productions The collective was the 2017 Company in Residence at
Basement Theatre, 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. 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. and have presented productions or exhibitions at the
Auckland Art Gallery, the
Auckland War Memorial Museum,
Artspace Aotearoa,
Māngere Arts Centre - Ngā Tohu o Uenuku, and the
Centre of Contemporary Art, Christchurch. In 2022 FAFSWAG were invited to be part of
documenta fifteen 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 ==