FafswagVogue.com

A subtle and poignant exploration of Pasifika masculinity and its queer-tinged boundaries.

A visual interpretation of alagaupu (proverbs) used within Samoan funeral chants and speeches, utilizing imagery from the artist’s personal photographic archive.

SAVAGE IN THE GARDEN presents a series of images and audio recordings responding to provocations about what it means to be a Queer Pacific Island man and centres queerness as a site for exploration and a pressure point for open social discussion. The intention of the recordings is to provide intimate and personable insights from Pacific men discussing their experiences with masculinity. The recordings are sourced from the public domain and have been mixed with interviews conducted last year, as well as a selection of essays collected from artists from the FAFSWAG arts collective.

Apparatus weaves the development of gender and identity within the indigenous culture in Aotearoa, the Māori name for New Zealand. Samoan artist Tanu Gago juxtaposes mesmerising footage of boys in their varied development of selfhood and actualisation with imagery of sculpted men from a different time and space, tracing the colonial influence on the expression of masculinity.