ILLEGAL INK | Agapetos Aia Fa’aleava

A Māori woman who went out with friends one night was turned away at the doors of a local nightclub in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley because of her moko kauae (chin tattoo) that she proudly wears on her face. A young Papua New Guinean (PNG) woman who shared the same fate because of her traditional facial tattoos. These markings are deemed illegal in Queensland (Qld) under the Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment Act 2013 (VLAD Act 2013). VLAD (2013) was created to stamp out gang-affiliated activities in Qld, which has classified all Pasifika people with cultural traditional tattoos on their faces and hands as gang members. This documentary is a call for social change in the legal systems in Qld through the lived experiences of women who proudly wear their traditional tattoos on their faces and hands.