HONOLULU BIENNIAL 2019

HONOLULU BIENNIAL 2019

Oahu isn't just sun, surf and sand. It's a crossroads of the Pacific, where East meets West and a place where people from diverse backgrounds come together to live, work and play. 

Surfing at Sunset, hiking a pillbox trail or working on your tan poolside at a resort in Waikiki will always be popular activities, but if you're looking for something that celebrates Hawaii's diversity and confluence of cultural influence, take some time to check out Honolulu Biennial 2019.

The Honolulu Biennial is a contemporary art exhibition that brings together artists from Hawaii, the Pacific, Asia and the Americas. This international cultural event takes place across Honolulu, including the Honolulu Biennial Hub in Ward Village, Foster Botanical Garden, Bishop Museum and Honolulu Museum of Art, featuring the art of 47 artists and art collectives until May 5. Some venues are free to enter; others require a pass that can be purchased through Honolulu Biennial's website.

The 2019 Honolulu Biennial's theme is “To Make Wrong / Right / Now” and was taken from a poem by Hawaiian poet, artist and musician Imaikalani Kalahele,a participant of the biennial. Kalahele is the author of Kalaheleand appeared in the anthology Mälama: Hawaiian Landand Water and in Ōiwi: A Native Hawaiian Journal.

The 2019 Honolulu Biennial is the second held by the Honolulu Biennial Foundation. The last event was led in 2017 with large, public art installations that included a mammoth pig on Ward Avenue, a giant lotus with moving petals at the IBM Building and large polka dot sculptures. 

This year's biennial also features large art pieces. Among them is Hawaii-based artist Leland Miyano's sculpture at Foster Botanical Garden. But rather than metal, this sculpture is made with harvested branches and limbs of trees from invasive guava and inkberry trees into a large, double-hulled canoe. 

Other events scheduled in conjunction with The Honolulu Biennial include poetry readings, musical performances, film screenings, walking tours, panel discussions and tea parties, among others. Over 90 events around Honolulu are scheduled during the biennial's run. 

The event is also open to contributions from other visual artists at its SaVAge K’lub in Chinatown. SaVAge K’lub is a place to meet, create work and perform, that's open for use by artists. 

The original SaVAge K’lub was founded in New Zealand and has been took part in events around the world; the pop-up un Chinatown is its latest venue. SaVAge K’lub's name is a play on the Savage Club, founded in London in the 19th century. It's also a play on va, the Samoan concept of the space between things or relationships that hold things together in unity. 

When the urge to explore and get out strikes do something different — take in the cultural beauty of the people from around the Pacific and the art they create at the Honolulu Biennial.

Honolulu Biennial 2019 runs until May 2019. For more information and to purchase passes, visit https://www.honolulubiennial.org.