Waikiki unfolds through photos

With a new exhibit, the University of Hawaii at Manoa is making history. Literally.

Papering the walls of the Art Department’s gallery is an eclectic collection of photographs — some which have never been displayed in Hawaii before — showcasing the evolution of Waikiki, from homey beachside villas to the epicenter of Hawaii tourism.

"It’s been a long time since we’ve had an exhibit that focuses just on photography in Hawaii," said Wei Fang, curator of "Framing Paradise: Photography and Waikiki," which features more than 150 photos spanning nearly two centuries.

"Everyone has a different relationship with Waikiki so every photographer has something different to contribute," Fang said. "Ultimately, this exhibit shows how photography and image-making played a big role in shaping Waikiki."

The show is organized in three parts: early Waikiki and two contemporary collections, featuring the work of two artists.

The historical display features more than 100 photographs on loan from private collections and the Bishop Museum archives that were taken in the 1880s to the 1890s.

Fang said it was during this decade that the first cameras begin to arrive in Hawaii and people started snapping photos of what they felt depicted Hawaii.

"This is when we start to see Waikiki being represented as the iconic image of Hawaii," Fang said.

The second part of the exhibit focuses on contemporary photographs taken by local artist Eric Yanagi in 1973. Yanagi, 22 years old at the time, received a small grant from the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts to take photos of the dramatic changes that were occurring in Waikiki.

"At the time, Waikiki was an iconic neighborhood and we were seeing massive bulldozing of wooden homes and the development of the concrete condominiums," Yanagi said.

Through 10 months, Yanagi took 17,000 photos. He then picked 110 images to be printed in a book. Now, nearly 40 years later, Yanagi said, "I always knew that these photos would be valuable, historically and artistically."

The exhibit will feature 30 of the 110 photographs.

"(Yanagi’s work) is a collection of stunning portraits of Waikiki during a time of schizophrenic turmoil," Fang said. "We’re very happy to be able to share his work."

The final section of the exhibit spotlights 25 photographs by legendary Japanese photographer Daido Moriyama taken between 2004 and 2007. During the three years, Moriyama made many trips to Waikiki to take photos from the perspective of a tourist.

"His ‘Hawaii’ portfolio is a powerful work of photographs," Fang said. "(Moriyama’s work) is known for getting under people’s skin. He is truly the master photographer in this century."

This exhibit is the first time Moriyama’s Waikiki photos are showing in Hawaii and only the second time they have been displayed anywhere. Their first showing was two years ago in Moriyama’s gallery, Luhring Augustine, in New York.

"Everyone has a different opinion and experience with Waikiki, but people will always love taking and looking at photos of Waikiki," Fang said.