{"id":173243,"date":"2023-02-27T15:12:47","date_gmt":"2023-02-28T01:12:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=173243"},"modified":"2023-02-28T08:19:53","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28T18:19:53","slug":"ai-pohaku-art-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2023\/02\/27\/ai-pohaku-art-exhibition\/","title":{"rendered":"K\u0101naka \u02bb\u014ciwi art spanning generations showcased in new exhibition"},"content":{"rendered":"
Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
\"Entrance
Photo credit: Drew Kahuʻāina<\/span> Broderick<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

For the first time in more than 20 years, a large-scale exhibition of K\u0101naka ʻŌiwi<\/span> (Native Hawaiian) art is taking the stage within the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> System. The ʻAi<\/span> P\u014dhaku, Stone Eaters<\/em><\/a> exhibition opened at the UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Art Gallery<\/a> on January 22 and may be viewed through March 26. Stepping into the exhibition, viewers are immediately immersed in dynamic displays of captivating artwork spanning multiple generations and mediums.<\/p>\n

“This exhibition is a small part of an ongoing story of contemporary K\u0101naka ʻŌiwi<\/span> art, a story of resistance, a story of affirmation, a story that remains to be written, to be celebrated and to be shared,” said co-curators Drew Kahuʻāina<\/span> Broderick<\/strong> (Koa Gallery, Kapiʻolani<\/span> Community College<\/a>), Noelle M.K.Y. Kahanu<\/strong> (assistant specialist, UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa American Studies) and Josh Tengan. “By advocating for K\u0101naka artists and culture bearers, this exhibition offers audiences an opportunity to form meaningful connections to our diverse work while ensuring that our stories of art are sustained in our ancestral homelands and abroad.”<\/p>\n

\"People
Photo credit: Drew Kahuʻāina<\/span> Broderick<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

ʻAi<\/span> P\u014dhaku, Stone Eaters<\/em> presents new commissions, works-in-progress and existing artworks by an intergenerational group of nearly 40 poets, painters, carvers, weavers, filmmakers, photographers and musicians. Artists in the exhibition include UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa alumni and UH<\/abbr> faculty members (current and former), as well as other artists from the community.<\/p>\n

Honoring ʻŌiwi<\/span> leaders<\/h2>\n

One of the artists is Kapulani Landgraf<\/strong>, a Title III<\/abbr> project director at Kapiʻolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr> and a UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa alumna. Landgraf has multiple pieces in the exhibition, one of which is a stunning installation that pays homage to leaders in the Hawaiian community.<\/p>\n

\"Art
E Hoʻokanaka<\/span><\/em> by Kapulani Landgraf<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“When Haunani-Kay Trask<\/strong> passed away on July 3, 2021, I thought about how she will be remembered,” said Landgraf. “From there, I thought about how we remember and honor our Hawaiian leaders who sacrificed so much for our l\u0101hui (nation) and that is where the idea came from. This is a huge project, and in completing this installation for ʻAi<\/span> P\u014dhaku<\/em>, I knew I was missing many ʻŌiwi<\/span> leaders and their important words that will not just inspire our l\u0101hui now, but our future generations.”<\/p>\n

The installation features a video projection that displays portraits and quotes of numerous Hawaiian leaders. The projection is surrounded by strands of twinkling aluminum welo (crescents)—the particular shape of which came from a lau koa (leaf of a koa tree) that Landgraf found on Maunaloa.<\/p>\n

“Like the koa aloha ʻāina<\/span> (aloha ʻāina<\/span> warriors) who fought on the slopes of Lēʻahi<\/span> in January 1895 to restore Liliʻuokalani<\/span> back to the throne and the koa aloha ʻāina<\/span> who stand and protect Maunakea, each welo represents an ʻŌiwi<\/span> leader and a lineage of ʻŌiwi<\/span> leaders whether based on an ancestral moʻokūʻauhau<\/span> (genealogy) or a kumu moʻokūʻauhau<\/span>,” explained Landgraf.<\/p>\n

Visit the exhibition<\/h2>\n
\"People
Photo credit: Drew Kahuʻāina<\/span> Broderick<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

ʻAi<\/span> P\u014dhaku, Stone Eaters<\/em> is currently on view at the UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Art Gallery through March 26. The gallery is open Wednesday–Sunday, 12–4 p.m., but will be closed March 13–17 during spring break. Weekly curator-led tours are offered on Fridays and Sundays at 1 p.m., and artist discussions are held on Sundays at 2 p.m.<\/p>\n

In addition to regularly scheduled tours and discussions, there will be three special programs in March, which will feature conversations with several of the exhibition\u2019s artists and curators:<\/p>\n