Ming Ranginui, Game of Thrones, 2024. Gaming chair, satin, wadding, rhinestones, 1330 x 580 x 650mm. Photograph by Samuel Hartnett, courtesy of the artist and Season, Tāmaki Makaurau.
Ming Ranginui (Te Ati Haunui-a-Pāpārangi) is a Māori artist from Whanganui. She completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts with First Class Honours at Massey University, Wellington, in 2020, and furthered her studies in 2022 at Te Wānanga o Raukawa, specialising in Raranga (weaving). She creates a variety of sculptures, often reimagining everyday objects using a blend of whatu/taniko (Māori weaving technique) and satin smocking to bend modern fabrics and traditional fibres to her will.
A note on Game of Thrones: ‘Game of Thrones reimagines an old gaming chair as a throne. The work reflects the ambivalence with which the ruling few perceive the needs and wellbeing of the many.’