Art energized by rich wisdom and layers of ʻike Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian knowledge) drawn from kūpuna (ancestors) will fill the Art Gallery at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa starting November 19. The free exhibit, Mai Nā Kūpuna Mai, From the Ancestors, will showcase works through February 2024 created by nine kānaka ʻōiwi (Native Hawaiian) artists inspired by intergenerational knowledge.
The core of the exhibit will feature pieces produced by two former UH faculty and revered Hawaiʻi artisans; retired UH Mānoa Hawaiian studies and art Professor Ivy Hāliʻimaile Andrade and Sean Kekamakupaʻaikapono Kaonohiokalani Lee Loy Browne, a sculpture lecturer who taught at UH Mānoa and Kapiʻolani Community College.
“Both artists were key figures of the Hawaiian Cultural Renaissance of the 1980s,” said Debra Drexler, a painting professor at UH Mānoa and acting gallery director. “Both are internationally recognized artists, who have spread understanding of the Hawaiian culture to venues around the world. These artists are treasures of our community and we are fortunate to see their work in conversation with each other and a younger generation of artists.”
Mai Nā Kūpuna Mai, From the Ancestors holds its opening reception on Sunday, November 19, 2—4 p.m. at the UH Mānoa Art Gallery.
Beyond view
In the gallery, Browne’s 15-foot diameter basalt rock circle, Ka Piko (The Navel) will be displayed at the base fronting Andrade’s 14-foot kapa (barkcloth) and handmade paper installation, Ascending, which honors ancestors who have ascended.
“The two pieces really play well together,” said Andrade. “I’m hoping when people enter the gallery…that they’re drawn in towards that space.”
Andrade draws from cultural practices in fiber arts to make contemporary sculptures and installations. While putting her piece together, Andrade thought about loved ones lost and wanted to exude the feeling of souls lifting.
Ancient art
Browne explores traditional and contemporary approaches to form through bringing a kānaka (Hawaiian) aesthetic to materials such as bronze, limestone, basalt and even styrofoam. A native of Keaukaha on Hawaiʻi Island, Browne recalls gazing at petroglyphs at Puʻuloa in Puna as a young boy and later learning about how Hawaiians of old carved crevices in lava rock to place piko (umbilical chords) in after childbirth. He kneaded those elements of inspirational ʻike into his Ka Piko basalt rock work.
“So it’s kind of like a thread that can connect us both to our roots, our past and to our future,” Browne said. “It connects not just me to my parents… but everybody else that came before them. And then it can look forward to where we are today and into the future.”
The seasoned artists included several other kānaka ʻōiwi artists that they mentored and developed pilina (relationships) with to also feature pieces at the exhibit: Puni Jackson (MFA, UH Mānoa art and art history), Charlton Kūpaʻa Hee (master of engineering management, UH Mānoa natural resources and environmental management), Kawika Lum-Nelmida (BA, UH Mānoa Hawaiian studies), Marques Hanalei Marzan (BFA, UH Mānoa art and art History), Abigail Kahilikia Romanchak (MFA, UH Mānoa art and art history), Cory Kamehanaokalā Holt Taum and Maikaʻi Tubbs (BFA, UH Mānoa art and art history).
For more information visit The Art Gallery website.
