Capitol Modern Invites You to the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture

Photo: Courtesy of Capitol Modern

Founded in 1972 by the South Pacific Commission (now The Pacific Community – SPC), the Festival of the Pacific (FestPAC), is the world’s largest celebration of arts and culture showcasing indigenous Pacific Islanders. Held in a different location every four years, FestPac will be hosted for the first time in Hawai‘i this year, giving a warm welcome to cultural practitioners and artists from all across the ocean.

FestPAC will take place at multiple sites in Honolulu, and Capitol Modern will play a major role as one of the primary venues, providing a space for performances by heritage dance groups, cultural presentations, curated art exhibitions and more. All of the museum’s activities center around the theme “Ke Ao Lama (Enlightened World),” “to showcase the proliferation of Pacific peoples’ ingenuity, from traditional practice to contemporary expression, highlighting the evolution of enlightened native thought and creativity.” All of the festival’s programming is free and open to the public.

Pictured in front: “KI‘I KUPUNA: ‘O KIHANUILŪLŪMOKU-KŌNANE” by Carl F. K. Pao. In back: “Evolution – 7’0 Lei O Mano” by Scott Fitzel. Both are part of the Ai ā manō exhibition. Photo: Courtesy of Capitol Modern

Kicking things off on First Friday, June 7, from 5 to 10 p.m. will be the opening ceremony, musical performances and the debut of five interconnected art exhibitions on the first and second floor of Capitol Modern. In the ‘Ewa Gallery upstairs, you’ll experience “Our Sea of Islands,” an exhibition curated by Dr. C. Makanani Salā and Alyssa Chau of Gravitas Pasifika. In the same gallery is “PILINA: My Relationships Are My Heritage and Wealth,” with highlights commemorating the festival’s last 50 years, curated by Dr. Frances Koya Vaka‘uta and Alyssa Chau.

The second floor Lē‘ahi Gallery features the exhibition “Ai ā manō,” co-curated by Native Hawaiian artists and educators Drew Kahu‘āina Broderick, Kapulani Landgraf and Kaili Chun. Created by Native Hawaiian contemporary artists, the pieces were selected from the Art in Public Places (APP) Collection of the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA).

“Māmakakaua” by Kapulani Landgraf, part of the Ai ā manō exhibition. Photo: Courtesy of Capitol Modern

Towards the back of the gallery, you’ll find “Nā Akua Ākea: The Vast and Numerous Deities,” showcasing traditional ulana ‘ie‘ie (Hawaiian twined basketry) as well as contemporary styles of weaving by practitioners Kumulā‘au and Haunani Balino-Sing alongside their students. This exhibition explores themes such as ancestral images, demigods, goddesses, shapeshifters and ‘aumakua.

Artist Solomon Enos. Photo: Courtesy of Capitol Modern

In conjunction with FestPAC, Capitol Modern’s Artist in Residence and Native Hawaiian contemporary artist Solomon Enos will be creating an immersive installation inside the first floor’s Passion On Display space titled “Ki‘i Mua – Future Forms.” Enos will reimagine images of Ki‘i (Hawaiian gods, deities, and ancestors) from the future with a high-tech blend of 3D printing, digital sculpting and virtual reality.

In the ground floor display case, discover “Hula Ki‘i: Traditional Hawaiian Puppetry.” Curated by the Hula Preservation Society, this rare display includes puppets contributed from masters on Kaua‘i, Maui, O‘ahu and Hawai‘i Island. These masters and their collectives will perform a series of historic Ki‘i dances for the first time in public as part of the festival.

On June 10–14 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., visitors can see a wide variety of cultural presentations and heritage dance performances on the front lawn and inside of the museum by visiting nation delegations and Native Hawaiian practitioners. Executive Director of the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts Karen Ewald is especially thrilled for visitors to experience “the sheer volume of stunning presentations, performances and works from traditional to nontraditional creatives right here in the state of Hawai‘i.”

For the latest information on the FestPAC programming schedule, visit capitolmodern.org and festpachawaii.org.

Free admission, Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Capitol Modern, 250 S. Hotel St., capitolmodern.org, @capitolmodern

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Lisa Shiroma is a correspondent for Capitol Modern and an artist and art educator. She is the former owner of the Capitol Modern Museum Gallery Shop, which she ran with partners Aly Ishikuni-Sasaki and Travis Sasaki from Mori by Art + Flea.