DON'T DEEP IT is a new series of work by Aj Fata, commissioned by Papatūnga for the Te Tuhi Billboards. It comprises of two playful series of airbrush images: a monochrome series located at Parnell Station, and a colour series located at Te Tuhi, in Pakuranga.
The title, DON’T DEEP IT, refers to an affirmation the artist repeated to herself as a mantra when making the new work, a reflection on the pressure artists feel to produce profound, deep artworks.
Through her brushstrokes, Fata encourages other artists who might feel stuck to embrace doubt and resist the desire to overthink when making art.
About the artist
Aj Fata (Ngāti Makirangi / Sāmoa) is an artist and curator based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Spanning a range of media including digital, print-making, poetry and music, the backbone of her practice is Indigenous empowerment in te ao hurihuri.
Among her most recent projects are Wh/orce Whield, part of the exhibition Kare at Kūkāhiko Gallery, Napier (2024); Te Puku o te Taniwha at The Physics Room, Ōtautahi Christchurch (2023); The water tastes different here at Tautai, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland (2022). She participated to the Hononga X Aroha Residency with Hoea! Gallery (2024) and she is a member of the In*ter*is*land Collective, a tangata Moana, queer-led collective based in London and Aotearoa New Zealand.
Fata completed her studies in rūmaki reo Māori through Te Wananga Takiura o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa. Alongside her work as an artist and curator, she's also been exploring electronic music through the alias ajhoneysuckle.