HONOLULU, HAWAII.- The Honolulu Museum of Art unveiled the latest iteration of the John Dominis and Patches Damon Holt Gallery of the Arts of Hawai‘i in a dramatic installation opening. Reframing the Landscapes of Hawai‘i features 47 works drawn from HoMA’s permanent collection and strategic loans across a variety of media and expressions. It immerses visitors in a rich and nuanced sense of place that reveals layered meanings behind each artwork, emphasizing the diverse and complex history of Hawai‘i.

The reinstallation is co-curated by Tory Laitila, HoMA’s curator of textiles and historic arts of Hawai‘i, and O‘ahu-raised guest curator Rory Padeken, the Vicki and Kent Logan Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Denver Art Museum. The collection of works on view features select Indigenous, Hawai‘i-based, immigrant and visitor artists from the 18th century to the present. Leveraging each of the curator’s individual strengths, the collaborative effort is installed by idea rather than chronologically, aiming to spark conversation among visitors.

“The traditional, chronological ways of telling histories at so many museums across the world often reinforce a linear or accepted canon of how things happened,” said Catherine Whitney, HoMA’s director of curatorial affairs. “Reinstallation, if done well, can open up conversations and break down that canon of patriarchal, colonizing narratives so that we can tell new stories that are more diverse and inclusive.”

As the curators contemplated how to share a compelling story celebrating the dynamic visual culture of Hawai‘i, they discovered a commonality in the varied meanings presented in depictions of landscapes and were interested in how artists from the Islands portray these environments differently than an artist experiencing Hawai‘i as a visitor. Using this insider perspective as a starting point, the installation came together as a thought-provoking representation of natural beauty and Hawaiian culture throughout history.

“It was important that the landscapes selected represent a broad view of the Islands and were not limited to picturesque views that might be found on a postcard or travel brochure,” said Padeken. “Works on view document a merging of cultures, from imagery signifying a Native Hawaiian sense of place to scenes depicting a society in transition as Western development begins to reshape the land. Visitors will also experience well-known Hawaiian landmarks portrayed from a new perspective. For example, Sunrise over Diamond Head by Jules Tavernier shows the popular Waikīkī beach shrouded in mist, adding a new dimension to the traditional viewpoint.”

The curators adopted an approach to storytelling that makes space for new narratives to be shared while exploring deeper aspects of the archipelago’s ever-evolving geological, political, cultural and social identity.

“Reframing the Landscapes of Hawai‘i will show the broadness of the ethnicities of the people and the artists represented. People talk about Hawai‘i as a melting pot, but I like the word stew because we’re all combined and still retain our identities,” said Laitila. “Living here means you live in multiple communities and societies simultaneously. We live and work in all these layers, and those layers make up our landscape.”

Reframing the Landscapes of Hawai‘i features a wide range of mediums, from painting and sculpture to woodworking, feather work, quilting and engraving. Artists represented include Mabel Alvarez, Marguerite Blasingame, Sean Browne, Kaili Chun, Isami Doi, John Kelly, James Gay Sawkins, Madge Tennent, Harry Tsuchidana and Lionel Walden. The two-year installation will continue to evolve through a subset of fluctuating artworks. These objects, including textiles and works on paper, will be rotated regularly due to their delicate nature. Reframing the Landscapes of Hawai‘i was made possible thanks to the support of Judy Pyle and Wayne Pitluck.