Hawaii Triennial 2025, or HT25, is the state’s largest thematic exhibition of contemporary art.
It features art from Hawaii, the Pacific and beyond. This year for the first time, it moves beyond Oahu to encompass Maui and the Big Island.
HT25 features 49 artists at 13 sites, including the East Hawaii Cultural Center in Hilo, where the exhibition will be on view from this Friday to May 3.
The official EHCC opening, with the Triennial curators, is at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 21, and an artist talk with Russell Sunabe is at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb, 22.
The theme of HT25 is ALOHA NO, an intentional conflation of the negative “no” in English and the intensifier “no” in ‘Olelo Hawaii.
HT25 curators Wassan Al-Khudhairi, Binna Choi and Noelle M.K.Y. Kahanu explain that the theme is intended “to challenge commonly held notions of aloha and reframe it as a way of life, an action that embodies profound love and truth-telling, and a beloved practice that has been kept and care for by the people of Hawaii for generations.”
The exhibition at EHCC will feature five artists, each bringing a unique voice.
Rocky Ka‘iouliokahihikolo‘Ehu Jensen was a champion of the maoli contemporary fine arts movement and was passionate about returning components of his ancient culture into present day consciousness.
Hayv Kahraman addresses radicalized gender and body politics, migrant consciousness and the marginal spaces of diasporic life.
Jane Jin Kaisen’s video work on view delves into the laborious life of Jeju Island’s famed deep sea divers and their spiritual connection to the sea and their community.
Lieko Shiga seeks the roots of the human spirit in her experiences in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake, which saw the breaking down of social functions along the coast and the unforgiving disposition of the laws of nature, link back to “recovery” efforts seen in postwar Japan, inciting an overwhelming sense of déjà vu.
Sunabe was born and raised in Hakalau.
He paints postmodern allegorical narratives utilizing both figurative and abstract elements from a Hawaii and Hawaiian-Creole context.
“We are thrilled the Triennial is happening at EHCC this year,” EHCC Executive Director Laurie Rich said in a press release. “The reputation our gallery director Andrzej Kramarz has established for us as an art destination has allowed us the privilege of hosting what promises to be a fantastic show.”
HT25 is presented by Hawaii Contemporary, a nonprofit visual arts organization based in Honolulu. Previously known as Honolulu Biennial, HT25 is the fourth iteration of the exhibition.
For more information, visit EHCC online at ehcc.org, call 961-5711, or visit EHCC at 141 Kalakaua St.
