Kilo i ka mo‘o 2022 Artists: Laura Dunn | Kala‘i Blakemore | Nainoa Rosehill | Ian Kuali‘i Sound Design: Ezri Weiss Oli:Kumu Ulupuamahinamaikalani Peleiholani Blankenfeld-Kaheiki Photo credit: Andrzej Kramarz

This exhibit examines the paradoxical experience of Hawai‘i, as the emerging Kānaka Maoli live in the junction of two worlds: the history of its occupation and the consequential product of a monetized island. The intent is to present the contradictions of Hawai‘i’s subjugated culture. The rapid decline of a native tradition has slowly been revived in a blended expression, so how do we identify as Hawaiian and as modernists? How do we activate and sustain our blood culture and collaborate with contemporary culture and ideals? The paradox of belonging becomes the central social problem as traditionalists reject what the modernist seek, and vice versa. Can we, as native people, coexist in both worlds?
The artists in the exhibit are using modern techniques to express their connection to the loss, and revival, of their culture, their land, and their personal identities as Hawaiians in today’s world of constant plurality.

From the appointed Exhibition Native Hawaiian Advisor:
“Kilo is a term used to describe observations or to observe. It mainly references stargazers or navigators as they looked to the heavens to chart their course and steer them in the right direction. It's also an asking in the sense of having the observer look at something with keen and earnest eyes. Often by observing, we discover many things that have not been seen before. It is only then that we can get the true "Mo'o" [Mo'olelo]: the story or the history of something. To "Kilo I Ka Mo'o", is a calling to open yourself to the history and stories of a place, its history and environment, what shaped it, and how we humans fit into its story and the impact we've had on it. It's the ability to coexist with a place and continue to perpetuate its mana through tales and observations of change throughout time and space. As the years pass and our civilization progresses, the land will still be here, and our stories will live on.”

-Kumu Ulupuamahinamaikalani Peleiholani Blankenfeld-Kaheiki
Native Hawaiian Advisor

Loli‘ana 2018 Artists: Bernice Akamine | Roen Hufford | Carl F.K. Pao | Hanalei Marzan | Photo credit: Andrzej Kramarz

The concept is to exhibit artists who are native born and have been raised with cultural and spiritual values that empower their work today. Contemporary thought and visual imagery are encouraged to inquire about the changes that have impacted native Hawaiians and native culture, to also seek which values should be preserved and what perceptions could be altered to facilitate a healthy evolution as natives, non natives, and a mixed ethnic and cultural community.

The exhibition has two fundamental purposes. One is to embody, ‘A‘ohe pau ka ‘ike i ka hālau ho‘okahi - All knowledge is not learned in just one school. Through exposure of culturally relevant art works made by native Hawaiians,an understanding of native Hawaiian culture can be offered to our  community. The second is to enhance the experience of culture through craft - E ho‘ohuli ka lima i lalo.Turn the hands down.[When the palm of the hands face down they are occupied and productive.] Artists chosen to participate in this exhibit have knowledge of Hawaiian history and/or historic cultural craft - such as kapa making.The intent is to seek a balanced perspective and appreciation of pre-colonized and current cultural values through a visual and interactive experience. In conjunction with the exhibition, workshops for youth and artist talks will be open to the community, led by the participating artists.

Flight Paths Artist |Charles Cohan 2017

The exhibition Flight Paths surveys 15 years of prints by Honolulu based printmaker Charles Cohan. The title refers to the various trajectories that Cohan has investigated since 2000, and reflects his interest in a diverse range of content developed though traditional hand printmaking media. Works presented in the exhibit represent the execution of images in the techniques of stone lithography, zinc plate etching, drypoint on copper, collagraph, woodcut, and screenprinting.

Biography:

Charles Cohan is Professor of Art and Chair of Printmaking in the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He received an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a BFA from the California College of Arts and Crafts. He works under the moniker ‘Arm and Roller Press’ when printing for other artists and community events, and is co-founder of the Honolulu based Lithopixel Refactory Collective print performance troupe. Awards include a U.S. Department of State Artist in Residency Research Grant for travel to Havana, Cuba, the Helpmann Fund Artist Residency Grant in Australia, a Hawaii State Culture and the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship, and the 2017 Catharine B. Cox Award for Artistic Excellence from the Honolulu Museum of Art. He exhibits and teaches internationally.