Native Hawaiian artist and cultural practitioner Bernice Akamine will present “Paliuli,” an art installation referencing the story of Laieikawai, in the Fountain Gallery of the Wailoa Center. The art installation will run April 4-24, with an opening reception from 5-7 p.m. on Friday. The public is invited.

Native Hawaiian artist and cultural practitioner Bernice Akamine will present “Paliuli,” an art installation referencing the story of Laieikawai, in the Fountain Gallery of the Wailoa Center. The art installation will run April 4-24, with an opening reception from 5-7 p.m. on Friday. The public is invited.

Paliuli refers to the story of the high tapu chiefess, Laieikawai, born one of twin sisters in Laie, both children were given away at birth to prevent their execution by the hands of their father, Kahauokapaka. Upon maturity, her guardian Waka took Laieikawai to Paliuli, the mythical land in the mountains of Moku O Keawe. At Paliuli, the high tapu chiefess Laieikawai lived in a house of feathers hidden by the mist of Paliuli.

Akamine is known for her small-scale abstract glass sculptures, feather work and traditional kapa and waihooluu, natural dyes. Much of her artwork draws on the Hawaiian culture, the native plants, the natural environment and the associated moolelo. Akamine’s artwork has been shown, locally, nationally and internationally. Her artwork is in a number of public collections including the American Museum of Natural History in New York City; the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass.; the Portland Art Museum in Oregon, and the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts among others.