Pati Solomona Tyrell
Pati Solomona Tyrell (born 11 August 1992) is an interdisciplinary artist from New Zealand who focuses on performance, videography and photography. In 2018 Tyrell became the youngest nominee for the Walters Prize, New Zealand's most prestigious contemporary art award, for video work "Fāgogo," subsequently purchased by Auckland Art Gallery. In 2020 Tyrell won the 'Emerging Pacific Artist Award' Arts Pasifika Awards. Biography. Tyrell was born in Hamilton of Samoan descent. Her father was Apulu Solomona Tyrell from the village of Faleasiu, Samoa and her mother was Aoatea Tyrell from the village of Fagali'i, Samoa. Tyrell attended  Fairfield Primary School, Fairfield Intermediate and Hamilton Boys' High School, graduating in 2010. He relocated to Auckland to study a Bachelor of Creative Arts program at the Manukau Institute of Technology, based in Otara, graduating in 2017. Tyrell is co-founder of the art collective FAFSWAG, and one of the principal photographers. FAFSWAG is the first brown queer arts collective who have been significant in New Zealand. It was established in 2013. FAFSWAG is formed of ten Pacific and Māori artists:  Ermaine Dean, Falencie Filipo, Tanu Gago, Tapuaki Helu, Elyssia Wilson Heti, Nahora Ioane, Hōhua Ropate Kurene, Moe Laga-Toleafoa , Ilalio Loau, Tim Swann, Tyrell and James Waititi. They are known socially for Auckland's underground vogue ball scene and for collective interdisciplinary works based on transforming the visual representation of the Pacific queer brown bodied chronology within Aotearoa, New Zealand. In 2018 Tyrell was nominated for the Walters Prize for "Fāgogo," a video work subsequently purchased by Auckland Art Gallery. Tyrell has a strong focus on performance and lens based mediums. He creates content that draws from personal experiences growing up in the Pacific brown bodied and queer diaspora within New Zealand in hopes to bring awareness for Pasifika  queerness in New Zealand. Tyrell utilises lens-based media to create visually engaging artworks that explore ideas of urban Pacific queer identity through interdisciplinary visual art, in hope to give a voice and something for the younger queer Pasifika communities to visualise and see. Fāgogo. "Fāgogo" is the name of moving image film that was nominated for the 2020 New Zealand Walters prize. "Fāgogo" was made in 2016, and is 9.04 minutes duration with song by Hala Kuo Papa called "Over Trodden Path." is positioned as a restorative art practice that Tyrell shares with other artists. Poetry composed by Her  Majesty Queen Salote Tupou III. Fāgogo refers to the Fa'a Samoa word for spoken fables in a shared context. In Samoa fāgogo was remembered as the story telling after a hard day work. Told by the older women and men there was an aspect of performance, spoken words and words that came with melodies. The receiver of a fāgogo displays the beauty of these fables then being passed passed down appropriating its meaning and making it their own. In the film, Tyrell's research, writing, choreography, fashion design and styling comes together by allowing artists to respond to their own  cultural heritage and by co-producing this project, "Fāgogo" honours traditions by 'unpacking the colonial gaze placed on queer brown bodies' and returning gender and sexual diversity to the world. "Fāgogo" is positioned as a restorative art practice that Pati Solomona Tyrell shares with other artists. Exhibitions. 2014: "Masculine Me Tender" Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki 2016: March "Talk That Talk" Fresh Gallery Ōtara Artists: Mahia Jermaine Dean, Sione Monu, Sam Ioane Samau, Jonathan Selu, Darren Tainue and Pati Solomona Tyrell 2016: "Fāgogo" Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki Artists: Pati Tyrell 2017: June–July "Fāgogo" St Paul St  Gallery Three. Auckland University of Technology 2017: July "Lovers Rock" PIMPI KNOWS.COM 2018: March–April "Fāgogo" Blue Oyster Art Project Space 2018: August–January "Fāgogo" Walters Prize Exhibition Auckland Art Gallery Awards. 2018: "Fagogo" Dunedin Fringe Festival. Awards: Best in Fringe & Best visual or performance art 2018: Nominee for the Walters prize. 2020: Awarded the Arts Pasifika Awards 'Emerging Pacific Artist Award' 2020: Awarded for interdisciplinary arts through the Arts Foundation Laureate As part of the queer Pasifika arts collective FAFSWAG, Tyrell received a 2020 Arts Foundation Laureate and exhibits his work at the Museum of Contemporary Arts Australia, Pingyao  International Photography Festival, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.