Pati Solomona Tyrell

Tyrell was born in Hamilton of Samoan descent. His father is Apulu Solomona Tyrell from the village of Faleasiu, Samoa and his mother is Aoatea Tyrell from the village of Fagali'i, Samoa.

Tyrell attended Fairfield Primary School, Fairfield Intermediate and Hamilton Boys' High School, graduating in 2010.{{Citation|title=Seed Waikato presents 'The Art of Expression' with Pati Solomona Tyrell|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgxppeDHlJQ|language=en|access-date=17 January 2022}} He relocated to Auckland to study a Bachelor of Creative Arts programme at the Manukau Institute of Technology, based in Otara, graduating in 2017.{{Cite web|date=22 March 2018|title=Walters Prize nominees announced|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/walters-prize-nominees-announced/CRUHMNOU3Z2ENCSSCKFC2SWOS4/|access-date=3 February 2022|website=The New Zealand Herald |language=en-NZ}}

Tyrell is co-founder of the art collective FAFSWAG, and one of the principal photographers.{{Cite web|date=23 June 2017|title=Photographing Samoan gender identity|url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/programmes/datelinepacific/audio/201848690/photographing-samoan-gender-identity|access-date=25 January 2022|website=RNZ |language=en-nz}} FAFSWAG is the first brown queer arts collective who have been significant in New Zealand.{{Cite web|title=MAKING SPACE: FAFSWAG {{!}} CoCA Centre of Contemporary Art Toi Moroki|url=https://coca.org.nz/exhibitions/makingspace_fafswag|access-date=25 January 2022|website=coca.org.nz}}{{Cite web|last=Page|first=Emma|date=22 February 2020|title=Meet the next generation of NZ's top artists|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/arts/119597288/meet-the-next-generation-of-nzs-top-artists|access-date=22 December 2021|website=Stuff |language=en-NZ}} It was established in 2013.{{Cite web|title=FAFSWAG|url=https://documenta-fifteen.de/en/lumbung-members-artists/fafswag/|access-date=25 January 2022|website=documenta fifteen|language=en-US}} FAFSWAG is formed of nine Pacific and Māori artists:  Jermaine Dean, Falencie Filipo, Tanu Gago, Tapuaki Helu, Elyssia Wilson Heti, Nahora Ioane, Moe Laga-Toleafoa, 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 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.{{Cite web|title=Fagogo|url=https://dunedin.art.museum/exhibitions/past/fagogo/|access-date=5 February 2022|website=Dunedin Public Art Gallery|language=en-US}}

Poetry composed by Her Majesty Queen Salote Tupou III.{{Cite web|title=Fagogo|url=https://dunedin.art.museum/exhibitions/past/fagogo/|access-date=4 February 2022|website=Dunedin Public Art Gallery|language=en-US}} 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.{{Cite web|title=fāgogo. fables from Samoa – About us|url=http://www.fagogo.auckland.ac.nz/about.html|access-date=4 February 2022|website=www.fagogo.auckland.ac.nz}} The receiver of a fāgogo displays the beauty of these fables then being 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.

• 2014: Masculine Me Tender Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki{{Cite web|title=Masculine Me Tender|url=https://www.aucklandartgallery.com/explore-art-and-ideas/artwork/25102/masculine-me-tender|access-date=25 January 2022|website=Auckland Art Gallery|language=en}}
• 2016: March Talk That Talk Fresh Gallery Ōtara Artists: Mahia Jermaine Dean, Sione Monū, Sam Ioane Samau, Jonathan Selu, Darren Tainue and Pati Solomona Tyrell{{Cite web|date=9 February 2016|title=What's On: G.G. – Talk that Talk|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/manukau-courier/76340400/whats-on-gg---talk-that-talk|access-date=25 January 2022|website=Stuff |language=en}}
• 2016: Fāgogo Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki Artists: Pati Tyrell{{Cite web|title=Fāgogo|url=https://www.aucklandartgallery.com/explore-art-and-ideas/artwork/25101/fagogo|access-date=25 January 2022|website=Auckland Art Gallery|language=en}}
• 2017: June–July Fāgogo St Paul St Gallery Three. Auckland University of Technology{{Cite web|date=4 July 2017|title=Manifesting fāgogo: A solo exhibition by Pati Solomona Tyrell|url=https://pimpiknows.com/2017/07/05/manifesting-fagogo-a-solo-exhibition-by-pati-solomona-tyrell/|access-date=25 January 2022|website=PIMPI KNOWS|language=en}}
• 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{{Cite web|title=Walters Prize nominees announced|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/walters-prize-nominees-announced/CRUHMNOU3Z2ENCSSCKFC2SWOS4/|access-date=3 February 2022|website=The New Zealand Herald |language=en-NZ}}

• 2018: Fagogo Dunedin Fringe Festival. Awards: Best in Fringe & Best visual or performance art{{Cite web|last=Edwards|first=Jono|date=19 March 2018|title=Exhibition wins top award|url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/fringe/exhibition-wins-top-award|access-date=5 February 2022|website=Otago Daily Times |language=en}}
• 2018: Nominee for the Walters prize.
• 2020: Awarded the Arts Pasifika Awards 'Emerging Pacific Artist Award'{{Cite web|title=Pati Solomona Tyrell|url=http://www.blueoyster.org.nz/exhibitions/pati-solomona-tyrell/|access-date=11 January 2022|website=Blue Oyster Art Project Space}}
• 2020: Awarded for interdisciplinary arts{{Cite web|title=Meet our 2020 Arts Foundation Laureates|url=https://www.thearts.co.nz/articles/meet-our-2020-arts-foundation-laureates|access-date=3 February 2022|website=Arts Foundation|language=en-US}} 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.{{Cite web|title=MOANA ARTS PROFILE – PATI SOLOMONA TYRELL — thecoconet.tv – The world's largest hub of Pacific Island content.|url=https://www.thecoconet.tv/moana-arts/im:17046/moana-arts-profile-pati-solomona-tyrell/|access-date=11 January 2022|website=www.thecoconet.tv}}

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Category:1992 births

Category:Living people

Category:People educated at Hamilton Boys' High School

Category:New Zealand people of Samoan descent

Category:New Zealand artists

Category:Indigenous artists