Covering mural was wrong

On the far right edge of Hans Ladislaus’ challenging mural, "Forgotten Inheritance," and occupying less than one sixth of the work, are representations of bones lying exposed in the sand.

Is this a desecration of Hawaiian culture?

That was the troubling question raised by iwi kupuna activist Paulette Kaanohiokalani Kaleikini and others, who claimed the mural is offensive to Hawaiians.

They demanded that the mural be removed — a difficult proposition, since it is part of a wall at the Hawaii Convention Center. On Sept. 4, Hawaii Tourism Authority President Mike McCartney ordered the mural covered with a heavy dark cloth.

Fortunately, these developments were temporary. Late Thursday afternoon, HTA announced that a "mutual understanding" had been reached that "will allow" Ladislaus’ work to be put back on display.

This is good news, as "Forgotten Inheritance" should never have been covered in the first place. We hope that the "mutual understanding" includes an acknowledgement that censorship of a legitimate public work of art like "Forgotten Inheritance" cannot be tolerated.

This is not to say that one may discount Kaleikini’s visceral reaction, or her right to defend and protect her cultural heritage. The exposure of iwi kupuna to the elements violates a Hawaiian cultural norm regarded as sacred, not only among Hawaiians, but the community at large.

State law also protects iwi. Kaleikini herself sued to halt construction of the city’s rail transit project until the completion of a thorough archaeological survey to ensure that iwi would not be desecrated. She won, and the city complied.

However, there is an obvious and profound difference between actual iwi and an artistic representation of the same.

McCartney’s hasty decision to cover the mural flew in the face of the First Amendment and freedom of expression, which serve Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians alike. It may have violated Ladislaus’ rights under the federal Visual Artists Rights Act. It summarily deprived access to a work of art by the work’s rightful owners, the public.

But there are other, more fundamental reasons why this sort of action cannot become a precedent.

The value of art as a means of social expression is imbued in all cultures and eras, from cave paintings in Lascaux to the work of dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. It is not an irrelevant "Western" concept.

The mural by Hans Ladislaus fits squarely into this tradition.

"Forgotten Inheritance" was commissioned in 1996 by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts to be among the first collection of works for the new Hawaii Convention Center. As taxpayer-funded art with a particular purpose, the work had to meet certain criteria.

Among them: It had to be of the highest quality available from local artists. Because the convention center serves people from all over the world, the art had to speak to Hawaii’s sense of place. And it had to be chosen through a process that invited public participation.

Ladislaus’ proposal was rigorously evaluated by a committee that included highly respected and longtime community art experts, including Native Hawaiians.

It was periodically reviewed through all stages of creation, from the initial sketches to final construction. Upon installation in 1997, it was blessed by John Keola Lake, a noted Hawaiian scholar, teacher and chanter.

It’s to the foundation’s credit that it chose a work that wasn’t traditionally pretty, but one with a hard point of view. "Forgotten Inheritance" laments our failure to remember and preserve what Ladislaus described as the "fragile and unique" island chain that the citizens of Hawaii have inherited.

Its exaggerated and yes, disturbing depiction of iwi — made from clay and plaster, and deliberately not anatomically correct — uses the tools of visual expression to address its intended audience, one not versed in the concept of iwi kupuna. Sometimes a picture can be worth a thousand words.

In the case of "Forgotten Inheritance," HTA’s press release noted the "sincere mutual respect between the involved parties."

That’s encouraging. Ladislaus and Kaleikini have similar messages to share, and we all benefit when they can share them — each in their own way.