Taniwha, a being both monstrous and healing, residing in the waterways, awa and moana of this whenua, whose tail whips into our daily lives.

What if my best friend was a Taniwha explores taniwha, a being both monstrous and healing, residing in the waterways, awa and moana of this whenua, whose tail whips into our daily lives. Kahurangiariki Smith’s whakapapa to Ngāti Rangiwewehi connects her to two taniwha, Pekehaua and Hinerua. Since living back alongside te awa o Waikato, she has been working towards articulating this daily relationship with taniwha, beginning with the creation of the video game ‘What if my best friend was a taniwha?’ (2023). Kahurangiariki continues her haerenga with taniwha as ancient kaitiaki, healers, and skux best friend in this exhibition, bringing together artwork made from the last several years with a mix of video game, 3D renderings, and toy dinosaurs 💕🐉💕

Kahurangiariki Smith Biography

He uri tēnei nō ngā tūpuna i heke mai ai i runga i ngā waka o Te Arawa, o Tainui, o Mataatua, o Takitimu, o Horouta hoki.

Kahurangiariki Smith (Te Arawa, Rongowhakaata, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki) is an artist and pēpi keo living in Kirikiriroa. Her artistic practice explores the many personifications of atua wāhine and the taiao. Kahurangiariki’s work explores a range of media such as moving image, karaoke, 3D rendering, video games, neon and writing. Her most recent exhibitions include Sharjah Biennial 15: Thinking Historically in the Present; the Brooklyn Rail’s Singing in Unison Part 8: Between Waves, in New York; and Homing Instinct at The Physics Room in Ōtautahi.