What if my best friend was a taniwha?

I returned to Kirikiriroa last year, after a stint overseas. Walking alongside the awa and talking to whatever taniwha curled its way through the awa became a healing routine. Much like the awa itself, the ever constant presence of something far bigger, older and scarier than oneself became a reassurance. From this routine I built the game ‘What if your best friend was a taniwha?’, a game that reiterated all my fav, healing things: shaking ass with friends, hīkois in the ngahere, and swimming in the awa.

Accompanying text in response to exhibition, Te puku o te taniwha, at the Physics Room (2023).