Fāgogo in Samoan refers to fables that are told in a shared context. The receiver of a Fāgogo is vested with an expectation to share the story, making it their own and then passing it on. Pati Solomona Tyrell’s work unpacks the colonial gaze placed on queer brown bodies in an attempt to return gender and sexually diverse identities back to their oracle status.
'Fāgogo' in this project is situated as a restorative practice, shared with other artists and collaborators from the Pasifika LGBTIQ space in Aotearoa. The exhibition includes Pati Tyrell’s documentation of the community over five years, as principle photographer for the FAFSWAG Arts Collective.
