FAFSWAG
@fafswag.nz
Critically acclaimed NZ Arts Laureates & Queer Indigenous, Interdisciplinary Arts Collective from the Moana. Based in Tāmaki Makaurau - SOUTH AKL
IG | @FAFSWAG
ARCHIVE | https://www.fafswag.nz/
INTERACTIVE | https://fafswagvogue.com/
IG | @FAFSWAG
ARCHIVE | https://www.fafswag.nz/
INTERACTIVE | https://fafswagvogue.com/
With love and deep condolences to all your loved ones. You will be eternally missed Aunty, Jennifer Lal. Thank you for your incredible contribution to the arts in Aotearoa. Live arts will not be the same without you. x Rest in Love. xx FAFSWAG aiga.
December 2, 2025 at 5:54 PM
With love and deep condolences to all your loved ones. You will be eternally missed Aunty, Jennifer Lal. Thank you for your incredible contribution to the arts in Aotearoa. Live arts will not be the same without you. x Rest in Love. xx FAFSWAG aiga.
Last show for the year - TIDES: Gender Beyond the Binary In Oceania at East Hawai'i Cultural Centre. Fafswag, Connie M. Florez, Adriana Māhanga Lear, Dan Taulapapa McMullin, and Peter Waples- Crowe. Running from December 6th 2025 - February 27th, 2026.
Image Credit: Pacific Bizarre 2019 - FAFSWAG
Image Credit: Pacific Bizarre 2019 - FAFSWAG
December 2, 2025 at 4:46 AM
Last show for the year - TIDES: Gender Beyond the Binary In Oceania at East Hawai'i Cultural Centre. Fafswag, Connie M. Florez, Adriana Māhanga Lear, Dan Taulapapa McMullin, and Peter Waples- Crowe. Running from December 6th 2025 - February 27th, 2026.
Image Credit: Pacific Bizarre 2019 - FAFSWAG
Image Credit: Pacific Bizarre 2019 - FAFSWAG
This year we had a Work-In-Progress-Sharing of Pati Tyrell's new ceremonial work SAUNIGA, at Arts Centre Melbourne. It's been a big Year for FAFSWAG in Melbourne. One of our international producer's Elyssia Wilson-Heti is now currently based there full time. Keen to see more of Naarm in the future.
November 23, 2025 at 11:43 PM
This year we had a Work-In-Progress-Sharing of Pati Tyrell's new ceremonial work SAUNIGA, at Arts Centre Melbourne. It's been a big Year for FAFSWAG in Melbourne. One of our international producer's Elyssia Wilson-Heti is now currently based there full time. Keen to see more of Naarm in the future.
Tea Break Tales is casting their next campaign. Get in touch if you have a story to tell. It's a paid opportunity for successful applicants. Details in the Image. Get it your life!!!
November 23, 2025 at 11:32 PM
Tea Break Tales is casting their next campaign. Get in touch if you have a story to tell. It's a paid opportunity for successful applicants. Details in the Image. Get it your life!!!
Congratulations to @tanugago.bsky.social who's short film Picking Crew took the Best International Short Film Award at Melbourne Queer Film Festival (MQFF) over the weekend. Congrats to the whole creative team behind the film. What an amazing honour to receive at the end your festival circuit run.
November 23, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Congratulations to @tanugago.bsky.social who's short film Picking Crew took the Best International Short Film Award at Melbourne Queer Film Festival (MQFF) over the weekend. Congrats to the whole creative team behind the film. What an amazing honour to receive at the end your festival circuit run.
It's always sad to see talented folks leave the arts. Sadly Jacob Tamata's piece for the Pacific Dance Festival entitled Bionica was his last. Produced by us but isn't a FAFSWAG work. Meaning we don't own the IP. But it did feature our artists at the time, and digital production design by Tanu Gago.
November 19, 2025 at 5:07 PM
It's always sad to see talented folks leave the arts. Sadly Jacob Tamata's piece for the Pacific Dance Festival entitled Bionica was his last. Produced by us but isn't a FAFSWAG work. Meaning we don't own the IP. But it did feature our artists at the time, and digital production design by Tanu Gago.
For queer Pacific peoples in Aotearoa, colonisation is not simply the entirety of our known history. It's the root of ongoing systemic barriers and collisions. We honour the ancestors and fight for sovereignty and visibility.
Image Credit: Elyssia Wilson Heti - Reclamation 2019 Basement Theatre.
Image Credit: Elyssia Wilson Heti - Reclamation 2019 Basement Theatre.
November 19, 2025 at 4:54 PM
For queer Pacific peoples in Aotearoa, colonisation is not simply the entirety of our known history. It's the root of ongoing systemic barriers and collisions. We honour the ancestors and fight for sovereignty and visibility.
Image Credit: Elyssia Wilson Heti - Reclamation 2019 Basement Theatre.
Image Credit: Elyssia Wilson Heti - Reclamation 2019 Basement Theatre.
Part of Photo24, this collection of Queer Indigenous artist portraits was on display outside The Substation in Melbourne. Love these works from local First Nations and Pasifika artists. I just wish the festival had made their info more obvious, cause we didn't manage to find the artists credits.
November 19, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Part of Photo24, this collection of Queer Indigenous artist portraits was on display outside The Substation in Melbourne. Love these works from local First Nations and Pasifika artists. I just wish the festival had made their info more obvious, cause we didn't manage to find the artists credits.
'Tulouna Le Lagi' by FAFSWAG artist Pati Tyrell, commissioned by Circuit Moving Image Artist Aotearoa, and presented in 2023 at Storage Gallery in Bangkok, Thailand. Can also be viewed on circuits website.
www.circuit.org.nz/work/tulouna...
www.circuit.org.nz/work/tulouna...
November 16, 2025 at 4:52 PM
'Tulouna Le Lagi' by FAFSWAG artist Pati Tyrell, commissioned by Circuit Moving Image Artist Aotearoa, and presented in 2023 at Storage Gallery in Bangkok, Thailand. Can also be viewed on circuits website.
www.circuit.org.nz/work/tulouna...
www.circuit.org.nz/work/tulouna...
FAFSWAG presented our interactive documentary project at the 22nd Biennal Sesc_VIDEOBRASIL in 2023.
fafswagvogue.com
fafswagvogue.com
November 15, 2025 at 6:37 AM
FAFSWAG presented our interactive documentary project at the 22nd Biennal Sesc_VIDEOBRASIL in 2023.
fafswagvogue.com
fafswagvogue.com
Co-winner of the @letterboxd.social Award for Māori Pasifika Talent, director Tanu Gago is a Laureate Award-winning filmmaker whose subtle and poignant exploration of Pasifika masculinity—and its queer-tinged boundaries—is gaining global recognition.
Check it out at MQFF
mqff.com.au/program/indi...
Check it out at MQFF
mqff.com.au/program/indi...
November 13, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Co-winner of the @letterboxd.social Award for Māori Pasifika Talent, director Tanu Gago is a Laureate Award-winning filmmaker whose subtle and poignant exploration of Pasifika masculinity—and its queer-tinged boundaries—is gaining global recognition.
Check it out at MQFF
mqff.com.au/program/indi...
Check it out at MQFF
mqff.com.au/program/indi...
Congrats to our international producer and FAFSWAG artist Elyssia Wilson Heti, the current festival producer for the Melbourne Queer International Film Festival MQFF. The programme officially opened today. Get along to the festival and check out their incredible programme.
mqff.com.au/program/
mqff.com.au/program/
November 13, 2025 at 1:33 AM
Congrats to our international producer and FAFSWAG artist Elyssia Wilson Heti, the current festival producer for the Melbourne Queer International Film Festival MQFF. The programme officially opened today. Get along to the festival and check out their incredible programme.
mqff.com.au/program/
mqff.com.au/program/
Coming soon... "Boys Drawing Boys" a Queer Pasifika mens social space hosted by @tanugago.bsky.social and Pati Tyrell at Afi Studio. Stay tuned for more details. Be sure to follow us here or on Instagram for info.
www.instagram.com/fafswag/?hl=en
www.instagram.com/fafswag/?hl=en
November 11, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Coming soon... "Boys Drawing Boys" a Queer Pasifika mens social space hosted by @tanugago.bsky.social and Pati Tyrell at Afi Studio. Stay tuned for more details. Be sure to follow us here or on Instagram for info.
www.instagram.com/fafswag/?hl=en
www.instagram.com/fafswag/?hl=en
Go behind the scenes with acclaimed Arts Collective FAFSWAG, 🤩 We give you an exclusive look at our collaborative practice and the development of our powerful new work, FALE SĀ / SACRED HOUSE, for the Manchester International Festival 2025 (MIF25).
Full video on YouTube
youtu.be/QtwaUs16nok?...
Full video on YouTube
youtu.be/QtwaUs16nok?...
November 4, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Go behind the scenes with acclaimed Arts Collective FAFSWAG, 🤩 We give you an exclusive look at our collaborative practice and the development of our powerful new work, FALE SĀ / SACRED HOUSE, for the Manchester International Festival 2025 (MIF25).
Full video on YouTube
youtu.be/QtwaUs16nok?...
Full video on YouTube
youtu.be/QtwaUs16nok?...
Fale Sā / Sacred House - SAUNIGA - REVIEW
Critically-acclaimed Queer Indigenous collective FAFSWAG take over HOME – with stunning digital art, live cultural ceremony and a programme of films and talks grounded in Pacific identity and culture. We caught the show SAUNIGA.
jadar.uk/2025/07/14/r...
Critically-acclaimed Queer Indigenous collective FAFSWAG take over HOME – with stunning digital art, live cultural ceremony and a programme of films and talks grounded in Pacific identity and culture. We caught the show SAUNIGA.
jadar.uk/2025/07/14/r...
November 4, 2025 at 4:54 AM
Fale Sā / Sacred House - SAUNIGA - REVIEW
Critically-acclaimed Queer Indigenous collective FAFSWAG take over HOME – with stunning digital art, live cultural ceremony and a programme of films and talks grounded in Pacific identity and culture. We caught the show SAUNIGA.
jadar.uk/2025/07/14/r...
Critically-acclaimed Queer Indigenous collective FAFSWAG take over HOME – with stunning digital art, live cultural ceremony and a programme of films and talks grounded in Pacific identity and culture. We caught the show SAUNIGA.
jadar.uk/2025/07/14/r...
Fale Sā / Sacred House - REVIEW
"The artists interrogate how those who have been displaced may trace the notion of home through ancestral knowledge and practices, and how queer Indigenous futures may harness the feeling of it."
corridor8.co.uk/art.../fafsw...
"The artists interrogate how those who have been displaced may trace the notion of home through ancestral knowledge and practices, and how queer Indigenous futures may harness the feeling of it."
corridor8.co.uk/art.../fafsw...
November 4, 2025 at 4:52 AM
Fale Sā / Sacred House - REVIEW
"The artists interrogate how those who have been displaced may trace the notion of home through ancestral knowledge and practices, and how queer Indigenous futures may harness the feeling of it."
corridor8.co.uk/art.../fafsw...
"The artists interrogate how those who have been displaced may trace the notion of home through ancestral knowledge and practices, and how queer Indigenous futures may harness the feeling of it."
corridor8.co.uk/art.../fafsw...
The Manchester International Festival MIF25 was a whole vibe. Seeing our work at large scale all over the city was a definite highlight of our world premier, earlier this year in July.
November 2, 2025 at 5:04 PM
The Manchester International Festival MIF25 was a whole vibe. Seeing our work at large scale all over the city was a definite highlight of our world premier, earlier this year in July.
Some of our work for sale at Factory International. Some other artist prints are also available on their online store.
factoryinternational.myshopify.com/collections/...
factoryinternational.myshopify.com/collections/...
November 2, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Some of our work for sale at Factory International. Some other artist prints are also available on their online store.
factoryinternational.myshopify.com/collections/...
factoryinternational.myshopify.com/collections/...
This is our small studio space we've been in for almost two years now. Looking forward to shooting over the summer. Some booking info is coming soon for anyone looking to get their headshots done.
October 28, 2025 at 8:04 AM
This is our small studio space we've been in for almost two years now. Looking forward to shooting over the summer. Some booking info is coming soon for anyone looking to get their headshots done.
3: Tulouna Le Lagi | Pati Tyrell 2022
This work is a visual interpretation of alagaupu (proverbs) used within Samoan funeral chants and speeches, utilizing imagery from Tyrell's personal photographic archive. An exploration into oral traditions that are still practiced in contemporary Samoan life.
This work is a visual interpretation of alagaupu (proverbs) used within Samoan funeral chants and speeches, utilizing imagery from Tyrell's personal photographic archive. An exploration into oral traditions that are still practiced in contemporary Samoan life.
October 27, 2025 at 10:05 AM
3: Tulouna Le Lagi | Pati Tyrell 2022
This work is a visual interpretation of alagaupu (proverbs) used within Samoan funeral chants and speeches, utilizing imagery from Tyrell's personal photographic archive. An exploration into oral traditions that are still practiced in contemporary Samoan life.
This work is a visual interpretation of alagaupu (proverbs) used within Samoan funeral chants and speeches, utilizing imagery from Tyrell's personal photographic archive. An exploration into oral traditions that are still practiced in contemporary Samoan life.
We're renting out our DJI RONIN 4D Cinema Camera as it's simply not being used at the moment. We also have a number of Insta 360 camera's we might be adding to our rental kit next week. Keep an eye out for updates as we slowly go through and update our studio kit. 😀🎥📹
www.fafswag.nz/rentals/dji-...
www.fafswag.nz/rentals/dji-...
October 27, 2025 at 9:56 AM
We're renting out our DJI RONIN 4D Cinema Camera as it's simply not being used at the moment. We also have a number of Insta 360 camera's we might be adding to our rental kit next week. Keep an eye out for updates as we slowly go through and update our studio kit. 😀🎥📹
www.fafswag.nz/rentals/dji-...
www.fafswag.nz/rentals/dji-...
2: APPARATUS
A series of moving image portraits concerned with the presentation of heteronormative masculine identities, this work seeks to provide a counter narrative to the media portrayal of Indigenous masculinity as fixed, binary and subordinate to dominant western notions of manhood.
A series of moving image portraits concerned with the presentation of heteronormative masculine identities, this work seeks to provide a counter narrative to the media portrayal of Indigenous masculinity as fixed, binary and subordinate to dominant western notions of manhood.
October 25, 2025 at 5:11 AM
2: APPARATUS
A series of moving image portraits concerned with the presentation of heteronormative masculine identities, this work seeks to provide a counter narrative to the media portrayal of Indigenous masculinity as fixed, binary and subordinate to dominant western notions of manhood.
A series of moving image portraits concerned with the presentation of heteronormative masculine identities, this work seeks to provide a counter narrative to the media portrayal of Indigenous masculinity as fixed, binary and subordinate to dominant western notions of manhood.
1: DIASPORA
In these precarious circumstances I'm compelled as a storyteller to remind the diverse communities of Aotearoa, We all have a shared history. The things that connect us are the things that we can draw strength from, and help us to navigate such confusing times.
@tanugago.bsky.social
In these precarious circumstances I'm compelled as a storyteller to remind the diverse communities of Aotearoa, We all have a shared history. The things that connect us are the things that we can draw strength from, and help us to navigate such confusing times.
@tanugago.bsky.social
October 25, 2025 at 5:03 AM
1: DIASPORA
In these precarious circumstances I'm compelled as a storyteller to remind the diverse communities of Aotearoa, We all have a shared history. The things that connect us are the things that we can draw strength from, and help us to navigate such confusing times.
@tanugago.bsky.social
In these precarious circumstances I'm compelled as a storyteller to remind the diverse communities of Aotearoa, We all have a shared history. The things that connect us are the things that we can draw strength from, and help us to navigate such confusing times.
@tanugago.bsky.social
Diaspora Rendered - With a critical view of the colonial gaze and the different ways it has shaped the representation of Moana ocean people, Diaspora Rendered reclaims stolen ancestral narratives and transforms cultural symbols and Pacific motifs into a digital archive of memory and imagination.
October 25, 2025 at 4:54 AM
Diaspora Rendered - With a critical view of the colonial gaze and the different ways it has shaped the representation of Moana ocean people, Diaspora Rendered reclaims stolen ancestral narratives and transforms cultural symbols and Pacific motifs into a digital archive of memory and imagination.
FAFSWAG is a Queer art collective from south Auckland. Responding to the lack of representation within the creative industries. The collective has come to redefine what it means to occupy a fluid sexuality & gender, a multi-cultural identity and a growing and global interdisciplinary practice.
October 25, 2025 at 4:17 AM
FAFSWAG is a Queer art collective from south Auckland. Responding to the lack of representation within the creative industries. The collective has come to redefine what it means to occupy a fluid sexuality & gender, a multi-cultural identity and a growing and global interdisciplinary practice.