Savage in the Garden

Overview

Running as part of this year's Artweek Auckland, Savage in the Garden showcases a collection of visual poems dedicated to the contemporary notions of Pacific masculinity.

Samoan-born Auckland artist Tanu Gago will bring several audio visual works to life at Viaduct Harbour from Saturday 10 to Sunday 18 October, 2020. The immersive moving image projects, including pieces titled 'Apparatus' and 'Savage in the Garden', address expressions of cultural, gender and sexual identity.

Gago is the co-founder of Pacific LGBT arts collective FAFSWAG. In Savage in the Garden the artist uses the screen to challenge the mainstream exploitation of Pacific bodies and lack of representation within the media beyond this superficial physicality. The exhibition features Tongan model Tapuaki Helu and members of FAFSWAG.

"The power of the colonial gaze continues to deprive everyday indigenous people by sovereign representations of their own bodies and life experiences", comments Gago.

Both works are presented as free large-scale screenings to the public. Elsewhere, Artweek Auckland's eight-day celebration serves up over 50 late-night events, free guided tours, drawing clubs, exhibitions and beverage tastings for art aficionados.

Image: FAFSWAG, Tanu Gago.