The Hawaii arts scene has come up with some intriguing new shows — evidence that even during troubled times, creative minds and hands don’t rest. In fact, they might even be more active. Here we present a trio of exhibitions that showcase the artistry and technical skill of local talent.
Hawai‘i Craftsmen Annual Statewide Exhibition
Downtown Art Center
1041 Nuuanu Ave., 2nd floor
Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays; free admission. Info: downtownarthi.org, hawaiicraftsmen.org or 808-773-7339
On display through Nov. 19, the annual juried show received more than 550 artworks, “a record number of submissions, by a large margin,” said Christopher Edwards, vice president of Hawai‘i Craftsmen. Previous years’ exhibitions have attracted 350 to 450 entries, he said.
The variety and creativity in crafts in recent years have raised questions about what actually qualifies as a craft, he said. “ ‘Contemporary craft’ is a new term that even Hawai‘i Craftsmen is starting to use quite a bit more, and that’s a much more broad definition of what ‘craft’ is,” he said. “It can either be some traditional piece of crafted media, which is usually in a couple of categories, or something that talks about the process of craft. … There are many artists that work in using a traditional craft media but in a really interesting and unique way.”
He pointed to a piece submitted by Jenna Macy, a recent master’s graduate from University of Hawaii at Manoa, called “Learning Not to Drown.” A series of life preservers made of slip-cast ceramic, the piece is painted in a kind of pigment that reacts to heat. “In the afternoon, with the sun coming in, it starts to change color,” Edwards said. “We have a hair dryer, which you can use to artificially change its color.”
The piece caught the eye of the exhibition’s juror, Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy, an assistant curator at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. “I think that kind of piece is where contemporary craft is headed,” she said. “There’s more to it than you can see at first glance. It’s like floaties, they can be fun, but they can also be serious in the sense that they save a life.”
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Vizcarrondo-Laboy is a proponent of “playfulness” in art, which she found in abundance in the submissions. She particularly liked miniature sculptures submitted by Esther Shimazu.
“They’re the most hyperdetailed things I’ve ever seen,” she said. “I think she really succeeded in combining these darker aspects of things with really cute playfulness.”
Vizcarrondo-Laboy judged all entries in person, traveling to the neighbor islands to view the entries. She selected objects that not only represented “the best of the best,” but also showed connections to each other. “I wanted to have some obvious connections, and maybe some things that were more subtle connections that people could make once they visited the show,” she said.
She was also taken by the feather work of Boris Huang, who submitted a cape made from chicken feathers that he created during the pandemic. “It’s not a medium that you see often in other states,” she said. “I thought it was really fitting, especially since I keep encountering chickens on the street.”
A native of Taiwan, Huang came to Hawaii about 20 years ago to study business, but began working with the feather lei master Aunty Mary Lou Kekuewa shortly after his arrival. Three years later, he asked to enter formal studies with her. “She said, ‘I thought you’d never ask,’ ” said Huang, who has received numerous accolades for his work over the years. Some were featured in The New York Times Magazine.
“Tatau: Marks of Polynesia”
Bishop Museum
Opening Nov. 13
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. Admission $10.95-$24.95. Info: bishopmuseum.org or 808-847-3511
An exhibition of traditional Samoan tattooing, which originated in the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, will open Nov. 13 in the museum’s J.M. Long Gallery.
The show will discuss how the art form “played such a pivotal role in the propagation and continuation in Samoan culture,” said Brandon Bunag, director of education programs at Bishop Museum. “It’s a way in which Pacific Islanders communicate and tell their stories.”
The exhibition, which runs through July 4, focuses on the Sula’ape family, who are considered responsible for spreading Samoan tattooing and its importance to Samoan culture around the world. Steve Looney, of Pacific Soul Tattoo in Honolulu, trained with them in Samoa and considers himself part of the Sula’ape family.
Looney said for a Samoan, getting a traditional tattoo is “sort of a rite of passage, really.”
“You get chosen by your family to take up this responsibility to represent them and be of service to your family and your village and community and extended family,” he said. “You’re also an ambassador (for) your country, because wherever you go, wearing that tattoo, you’ll be recognized as coming from Samoa.”
He said there are two main types of tattoos, one for males and another for females, but that individual artists might “have their own little personal signature,” he said. “What could change are the patterns and the arrangements, but the actual form stays the same.”
Along with photos, several traditional tattoo implements will be part of the Bishop Museum display. Samoan tattoo uses a comb-like device, called an “au,” which was traditionally made of boar’s tusk. Its teeth are dipped in pigment made from the soot of a burned kukui nut, then tapped into the skin with a small mallet called a “sausau.” It requires three people: one to manipulate the implements, and two to stretch the client’s skin.
“It doesn’t hurt that bad,” Looney said, “It’s like a sunburn.”
“The Art of Caring”
The Arts at Marks Garage
1159 Nuuanu Ave.
Hours: 12-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays; free admission. Info: artsatmarks.com or 808-521-2903
A particularly touching and relevant exhibition is “The Art of Caring,” a new show opening Friday and on view through Nov. 27. Sponsored by AARP and commemorating National Family Caregivers Month, the exhibition features paintings, photos and sculptures related to family caregiving.
“The vast majority of caregiving happens in the home. It is unsung heroes,” said Kanoe Reece, manager of The Arts at Marks. “That puts a lot of pressure on families, and it pushes families into breaking points and creates a lot of strife in every aspect of life. Hopefully by bringing attention to it, people who are going through it will feel more appreciated, and they will reach out for help.”
While show organizers were hoping for perhaps 30 entries, more than 80 pieces were submitted. Experienced artists and newcomers submitted works, including kupuna taking art classes.
The pieces all have a touching story to them, such as a painting by Sandra Blazel of her father playing with a kitten. According to her artist’s statement, the animal simply “showed up outside our window, sitting in a potted plant, trying to figure out how to get himself out of the predicament he had gotten into.
“It became very clear, very quickly, that the kitten was not interested in me, but was going to have his way with Dad, come hell or high water!” she wrote. “George, as he was named, soon became the caregiver for Dad in ways that I could not.”
Other pieces show how simple things can come to represent the bond between caregiver and receiver. Jessica Caraang submitted a painting of two intertwined hands, both wearing the same kind of mood ring. Caraang was a caregiver for a 100-year-old woman known as Mama C, who was excited to learn that they had matching rings.
“Many of our kupuna may feel helpless because other people such as family members and caregivers need to do basic daily things for them,” Caraang wrote. “Little do they know that the small things they do like telling stories, saying thank you, or even getting excited about small trinkets can give the people they interact with a huge boost of encouragement and energy.”
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Hawai‘i Craftsmen Annual Statewide Exhibition
Downtown Arts Center, 1041 Nuuanu Ave., 2nd floor
Open Wednesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
dac-arts.com or 808-445-1375; free
Art of Caregiving
The Arts at Marks Garage
1159 Nuuanu Ave.
Open Tuesday-Saturday noon-5 p.m.
artsatmarks.com or 808-521-2903; free
Tatau: Marks of Polynesia,
Opening Nov. 13
Bishop Museum
1525 Bernice St.
Open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
bishopmuseum.org or 808-847-3511; $10.95-$24.95
