HONOLULU, HI.- This spring, the Honolulu Museum of Art presents the work of 14 artists and collectives in partnership with Hawai‘i Contemporary as part of Hawai‘i Triennial 2022 (HT22), Pacific Century – E Ho‘omau no Moananuiākea.

The exhibition brings together artists from across the Asia Pacific region to Honolulu for a citywide celebration of contemporary art from Feb. 18 through May 8, 2022. HoMA’s presentation includes new installations from 18 emerging and established artists (some working as collectives) in a variety of gallery spaces throughout the museum.

Unique to HoMA is a site-specific installation by leading artist and social innovator Theaster Gates (b. 1973), who lives and works in Chicago. Gates’s gallery installation for HoMA includes tarred ceramic vessels, a vitrine intervention and film presented in conversation with the museum’s historic Japanese collection. Gates’s work highlights the collaborative and spiritual process of the Asian ceramic tradition and reveals its connections and influence on the artist’s own career.

In addition to Gates’s project, HoMA’s Triennial presentation features the work of the following artists: Ai Iwane, Ed Greevy and Haunani-Kay Trask, Masanori Handa, Yuree Kensaku, Sung Hwan Kim and David Michael DiGregorio, Liu Xiaodong, 目mé (Haruka Kojin, Kenji Minamigawa and Hirofumi Masui), Shinro Ohtake, Mika Tajima, Dan Taulapapa McMullin, Xu Bing, Chikako Yamashiro and Lawrence Seward.

"HoMA’s interpretation of the overarching Triennial themes centers on the Pacific Ocean as a connective body for cross cultural exchange,” said Director of Curatorial Affairs Catherine Whitney. “These artists and collectives explore ideas of Pacific culture, ecology, social change and Indigenous voices. They underline the museum’s commitment to presenting art of our time and place and offering an ever-broadening array of global practices and approaches.”

Pacific Century – E Hoʻomau no Moananuiākea at the Honolulu Museum of Art was made possible by leading sponsor Sharon Twigg-Smith.

Inspired by the unique histories of Hawai‘i, a gathering place for diverse peoples and ideas, Hawai‘i Contemporary connects communities from across our islands and regions united by the Pacific Ocean and beyond. As a collaborative art partner, Hawai‘i Contemporary cultivates cultural alliances to showcase the Hawai‘i Triennial every three years and to celebrate contemporary art and ideas. The multi-site public exhibition is complemented by year-round public and art education programs contributing to the local arts ecosystem, and affirming Hawai‘i Contemporary’s commitment to creating an accessible gateway for art in Hawai‘i.

HT22 is curated by curatorial director Dr. Melissa Chiu (director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C.), in collaboration with associate curators Dr. Miwako Tezuka (associate director of the Reversible Destiny Foundation in New York) and Drew Kahu‘āina Broderick (director of Koa Gallery, Kapiolani Community College in Honolulu). Organized by Hawai‘i Contemporary, HT22 is made possible by presenting sponsors Hawai‘i State Art Museum, supported by State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, and MakeVisible.