Critically acclaimed queer Indigenous collective FAFSWAG take over HOME during MIF25 with a bold, immersive programme of digital art, live ceremony, film and talks—all grounded in Pacific identity and cultural storytelling.
Based in Aotearoa (New Zealand), FAFSWAG’s work blends visual art, performance and activism to reimagine the futures of Indigenous people outside the colonial gaze. Their presence in Manchester marks a major moment for Indigenous queer art on the global stage.
FALE SĀ / SACRED HOUSE is the result of a two-year artistic residency, in which members of FAFSWAG were invited to create a ceremonial space built on the stories, spirituality and shared ancestral knowledge of the Pacific diaspora. The result is more than an exhibition—it is a living cultural house that invites audiences to listen, witness and participate. From digital installations to ceremonial performance, the experience offers a rare opportunity to engage with Indigenous worldviews in a powerful and personal way.
Taking place throughout the festival, the takeover includes an ongoing exhibition of digital artworks, moments of live cultural ceremony, and a rich programme of film screenings and public talks. Across the programme, themes of transformation, ritual, environmental care, identity and futurism are explored through an unapologetically queer and Indigenous lens. At its heart, FALE SĀ is a space of gathering, resistance and radical imagination.
FAFSWAG have long challenged the idea that Indigenous cultures are relics of the past. Instead, they centre the power of ancestral knowledge as a foundation for new forms of storytelling, solidarity and cultural survival. With this new work, they create a sanctuary that both honours heritage and pushes the boundaries of contemporary art and identity. It’s a space shaped by collaboration, ceremony and care—an offering, not a spectacle.
As FAFSWAG themselves put it, this is not an invitation to consume but to participate. Through FALE SĀ / SACRED HOUSE, they ask visitors to step into a different way of seeing and being—one that is rooted in respect, reciprocity and connection. This is a celebration of queer Indigenous culture that speaks to the spirit as much as the senses, and it’s one of MIF25’s most vital and unmissable events.
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