A seat at the table and nothing to eat

By Ruby Vidgen
Kai Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha

Oil paint on paper mache

This piece was inspired by a Michelin star dinner with my mother in which I became conscious of the stark difference, in our financial position and the other diners that surrounded us.

This piece seeks to portray the feelings of being tangata whenua in predominantly Pākehā settings, the longing for a seat at the table, and the inevitable sense of emptiness in being tokenized.

This piece considers the corporate favorite ‘With my food basket and your food basket, we can all eat’ as something that has been tokenized in branding rather than philosophically applied to practice. Because in reality even if we are not eating, they will continue to feast.