Honolulu Printmakers annual exhibit reflects diversity of Hawaii culture

There is arguably no better place to see, in one space, the full breadth and scope of Hawaii print art than the Honolulu Printmakers annual juried exhibition.

As one of the oldest printmaking communities in the U.S., the Printmakers have put together an annual show of works by Hawaiian artists for the past 90 years. The non-profit also runs a community print studio, puts together events, and in general is “a great community,” says Paul Galang, who joined the Printmakers after graduating from University of Hawaii-Manoa, and now serves as one of the youngest members of the board.

Their annual show, held this year for the first time at the UH Art Gallery, shows a richly varied representation of Hawaii artists and their work, divergent in all aspects except for their overall excellence.

The show displays nearly 100 pieces — just one-third of the 288 entries received from over 100 artists across the islands. This year, Jeffrey Dell, a professor and highly regarded printmaker from Austin, Texas, was tasked with selecting the works to include.

“I’m not looking for the easy images,” says Dell. “I’m looking for images that achieve something poetically.”

As printmaking – whether woodcuts, lithography, screenprinting, or any other form — is a very technical art form, Dell looks for art that’s not just technically excellent, but tells a deeper story, leaving the viewer with “more questions than answers.”

As a result, the show doesn’t just rely on established artists; it celebrates unique and poignant artists of all ages, experience, and backgrounds.

AS AN artist and critic from outside the islands, Dell is perceives certain unique strengths within the Hawaii printmakers’ community.

“There’s a significant sophistication to the work that is surprising, given that Honolulu is a city that mostly survives on tourism and the military,” he said — unlike cities like New York with a significant art-buying public.

For Dell, this shows in essence that Hawaiian artists are making valuable art without the primary incentive of making money.

What’s more, he said, Hawaii is rare amongst other cities in that it has an “impressive caliber” of artists unaffiliated with the formal art world.

“There are so many artists in this show not associated with universities who are excited about and devoted to their work, and are really, really sophisticated,” says Dell.

“This show represents a real coming together of different sorts of artists with different sorts of goals; from professors to students to people in the community, to people later in life coming back to art.”

As a result, there is a dizzying array of artistic styles represented — everything from mid-century modern abstraction to gorgeously rendered figurative prints to images with overt sociopolitical commentary.

Despite the vast spectrum of style and medium shown in the show, life in Hawaii appears again and again as both subject and muse.

“More so than anywhere else, the artists here show a real awareness of where we are,” says Dell. “Their work is an attempt to negotiate that sense of place.”

Hawaii is the most racially diverse state in America, and as such, the representations shown are equally divergent.

Dell points to the art hung on the entrance wall to the exhibition: “Just here, there’s Japanese Hawaii, Polynesian Hawaii, a mainland representation of Hawaii, a mid-century modern version,” all representing different facets of art and existence here.

Even seemingly abstract pieces carry currents of Hawaiian culture.

One piece by Brennan Simcock, for example, shows a textured weaving of black lines over a colorful background, but its title, “Under the Banyan Tree,” makes it instantly recognizable.

The Honolulu Printmakers show is more than just an exhibition of the highest-caliber print work being made in Hawaii; it’s a study of the issues, experiences, and consciousness of the islands today.