FIRSTEDITIONOFHONOLULUBIENNIALOPENSINNINESITES&
FEATURING33ARTISTS
PressconferenceheldatTheHub,anew60,000squarefootgalleryinWardVillage®with
artists,curatorsandfounderspresent
HONOLULU–March7,2017–HonoluluBiennial,anewcontemporaryartsfestivalandsignatureevent
fortheStateofHawaiʻi,helditsmediapreviewtodayinanticipationofthepublicopeningtomorrow.
Titled Middle of Now I Here, Honolulu Biennial runs from March 8 – May 8 and expands art world
perspectives by highlighting contemporary art in the Pacific, and demonstrating the important topics
beingexploredbyartistsoftheregion,includingtheintersectionsbetweenartandscience,historyand
culture,andenvironmentalissuesfacedbylocalandglobalcommunities.
TheHowardHughesCorporationandtheHonoluluBiennialFoundation(HBF)areproudtopresentthe
HonoluluBiennial,withFumioNanjoservingascuratorialdirectorandNgahirakaMasonascuratorfor
this multi-venue exhibition, which is spread among nine exhibition sites. Today, the first full series of
images featuring all new commissions, site-responsive installations and all exhibited Biennial artworks
havebeenmadepublic.
“Thisisanhistoricoccasion.Webelieveintheprofounddepthoftalents,ideasandvisionoftheartists
exhibitinginHonoluluBiennial.Theworksreflectlivedexperiencesbythepeopleandplaceslinkedby
thePacificOcean.Universallyrelevant,recurringthemesfoundthroughoutthismulti-venueexhibition
include: sustainability, rising sea levels, colonialism, identity and the intersection between art and
science,”sharedNanjoandMasoninajointstatementontheopening.
The heart of the Biennial will reside in Ward Village®, between Waikiki and downtown Honolulu.
Approximately25artistinstallationswillbepresentedthroughoutthecommunity,includingatTheHub
andhistoricIBMBuilding.TheselocationsaremadepossiblebyTheHowardHughesCorporation®,the
Biennial’sleadsponsor.AdditionalsitesfortheeventincludeHonoluluHale(CityHall),FosterBotanical
Garden,theArtsatMarksGaragelocatedinhistoricChinatown,BishopMuseum,HonoluluMuseumof
Art,theHawaiʻiPrinceWaikikiHotelandShangriLa,AMuseumforIslamicArt,Culture&Design.Many
of the Biennial sites are free and all will be accessible throughout the two-month run, enhancing
opportunities to engage and excite a wide array of audiences with the art of local and international
artists, as well as increase awareness of Honolulu’s cultural assets and contributions to a broader
internationalcreativedialogue.GeneroussupportfromTheTaijiandNaokoTerasakiFamilyFoundation
offers educational programs, including free transportation for school groups to attend Honolulu
Biennial.
ChallengingthenotionthatHawaiʻiisin“themiddleofnowhere,”theBiennialpresentsHonoluluasa
major cultural hub where art and ideas from around the Pacific region are developed and exchanged.
Covering more than 30 percent of the Earth’s surface, the Pacific is the largest unifiedliving space on
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the planet. At the heart of this vibrant Pacific community, Hawaiʻi serves as a vital cultural bridge
betweenEastandWestandameetingpointforthediversecommunitiesoftheregion.
TheBiennial’srosterofartistsincludesleading,midcareerandemergingartistsfromthePacificIslands,
Asia, North America, including Hawaiʻi, Australia and New Zealand. Among those featured are: Yayoi
Kusama, Lisa Reihana, Lee Mingwei, as well as local talents Sean Connelly, Kaili Chun, Michelle
Schwengel-Regala,ChrisRitson,andDrewBroderick.
HBF was founded by Dr. Kóan Jeff Baysa, Isabella Ellaheh Hughes and Katherine Ann Leilani Tuider in
2014; all three founders are originally from Hawaiʻi and Honolulu Biennial has been more than three
years in the making, with HBF presenting annual programs throughout the year in addition to the
Biennial.
Installationhighlightsinclude:
● The participatory installation Graffiti Nature by teamLab. The immersive work emphasizes cocreation and audience participation, who with the support of guide staff, can draw and scan
images, which will then be projected onto the floor as live animations. This evolving work
positions the viewer as an active element that alters the overall experience with each new
individual. The presentation of teamLab’s work, including the appointment of an onsite
attendanttoguideaudienceengagement,wasmadepossiblebygeneroussupportfromBankof
HawaiʻiFoundation,TheTaijiandNaokoTerasakiFamilyFoundationanddonorsfromJapan.
● A new commission by Hawaiʻi-based artist Michelle Schwengel-Regala, Water Column 1-3,
features three, hand-knitted, metal wire water column sculptures inspired by scientific
expeditionsandoceanwatersamplinginthePacificOcean.Thesewatercolumnformsdescribe
ocean depths and water clarity. They reference the forces of nature, human inquiry and the
searchforanswersastotheconditionofoceanwaterinthePacificregion.
● A monumental new installation at Honolulu Hale (City Hall) in downtown Honolulu by Korea’s
ChoiJeongHwatitledGatherTogether,2017,transformsplasticbuoyscollectedfromHawaiian
Islands coastlines by volunteers from the local non-profit organization, Sustainable Coastlines,
intosculptures.Theartist’sintentionistotransformoceandebrisintosculpturalpillars,bringing
thediscarded,overlookedandeverydaytogetherasaplatformforseeingeverythingasart.
● Anarchitecturally-inspiredinstallationbySeanConnellyofHawaiʻiatFosterBotanicalGarden,
Thatch Assembly with Rocks (2060s), considers thatching as a primary building resource,
countering the popular use of imported steel. The use of this natural material references its
traditional use as a structural feature of Pacific architecture, favoring a localized form of
constructionthatreviveshistoricalandculturaldialogues.Thisinstallationreferenceshistorical
formsofarchitecturesurroundingthedecadesofHawaiʻi’sstatehoodin1959.
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●
A three-part video installation by Marshallese poet, writer, journalist and performance artist
KathyJetn̄ il-Kijiner,whospokeattheU.N.ClimateSummit,willbeexhibitinginacontemporary
artexhibitionforthefirsttime.IslandsDroppedfromaBasketconsistsofthreevideos,depicting
basketsbeingwovenfromcoconutfronds,accompaniedbyimagesofarisingoceanandspoken
word. Jetn̄ il-Kijiner uses poetry to raise awareness of the compact agreement that allows
MicronesianstotraveltotheU.S.freely.
●
A new neon and vinyl work by Drew Broderick, Billboard I. (The sovereignty of the land is
perpetuatedinrighteousness),2017,isalargebillboardthatrespondstoahistoricalpaintingby
George Carter that depicts the death of Captain Cook inHawaiʻi. Billboard advertisements are
prohibitedintheStateofHawaiʻi.
●
A new video work by Sama Alshaibi, titled, Wasl, 2017, that is a continuation of the Silsila
projectthatdebutedintheMaldivesPavilioninthe2013VeniceBiennale.Wasl,whichmeans
“union”inArabic,focusesonglobalmassmigrationsasaresultofincreasingwaterscarcityand
rising ocean levels. These environmental catastrophes link islands and coastal regions around
theworld,fromtheMaldivestoHawai`i.
●
A multi-room installation by Alexander Lee responds to nuclear testing in French Polynesia
between 1966 and 1996. The test detonations had “star” code names such as Arcturus
(Hokulea),whichisseeninsouthPacificskies.Theinstallationfeatures“starburst”monotype
printsandhand-shapedporcelainobjects.
●
AnewboatinstallationbyAlfredoandIsabelAquilizan,titledCrossingProject,AnotherCountry
includes wooden boats, cardboard boxes, and domestic items. It remembers the migrant
sugarcane laborers, who were introduced to Hawaiʻi starting in 1803. The sugar cane industry
boomedinHawaiʻi,bringingChinese,Japanese,KoreanandFilipinolaborerstotheislands.
●
A new textile and fiber installation by Marques Hanalei Marzan, titled, A`ahu Kino Lau, 2017,
honorsKanaloa,Kane,Lono,andKu,thefourmajorgodsoftheHawaiianpantheon.Theyare
veneratedfortheirdivinedominionoverheavenandearth.
●
A new installation by Mohammed Kazem at the Arts at Marks Garage, is titled Directions
(Honolulu),2017.Kazem’sprojectusesthegeographiccoordinatesoftheartistsparticipatingin
the Honolulu Biennial to create borderless meeting points. His vision is to use the diversity of
theeventtobreakdownbarriersofidentityandbeliefsystemthatfrequentlydividehumanity.
●
AvideoworkbyMariquitaMickiDavis,titledMagellanDoesn'tLiveHere,2012-2017,featuresa
single-channel video that is an expanded story reconstructing a lost history and constructs a
hand-builtoutriggercalledaSakman.Underpinningtheoutrigger’sshipmenttothe2016Pacific
ArtsFestivalinGuamisastoryofislandersreturningtoislandsinthePacific.
●
AvideoworkbyLisaReihanathatrespondsdirectlytothechiefmourner’scostume,whichisin
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the permanent collection of the Bishop Museum. This video installation continues Reihana’s
examinationofPacifichistoryandmythologythroughacontemporarylens,andwillbeexhibited
atBishopMuseum.
●
AnewprojectbyartistJaneChangMi,whoisbasedinHawaiʻipart-time,exploresthebombing,
ecologyandhistoryofPearlHarbor.Trainedasbothanoceanengineerandanartist,ChangMi’s
workconsidersthepoliticsoflandandpostcolonialecologies.Drawingonarchivalunderwater
video-documentationtakenbyU.S.diverssurveyingtherestingplaceoftheUSSArizonaandthe
USSUtahbetween1990and1996,aswellashistoricalarchives,ChangMi’sworkexaminesthe
impactoftheseeventsonlocalecosystems.
●
A continuation of interdisciplinary artist Beatrice Glow’s research, interpretation, and
presentationoftheinvisiblestoriesofcolonialism,whichshehasbeenworkingonasanartistin-residence at New York University’s Asian/Pacific/American Institute through the form of a
mixed-media installation. Revisiting the history of spice trading between the 17th and 19th
centuries,theIndonesianartist’smultisensoryprojectfocusesspecificallyonthepungentspices
nutmeg and mace, which were extracted from Rhun, the smallest island of the Banda Islands,
nowpartofIndonesia.
●
A series of word paintings that explore the development and proliferation of community
knowledge and how local interpretations of information relate to broader global systems of
understanding by artist duo Les Filter Feeders. Based on Hawai‘i Island, this collective is
composed of Keith Tallett and Sally Lundburg. Les Filter Feeders incorporates colloquial
languageandlocalsenseofhumortoexaminehowcommunities,smallandlarge,areshaped,
andtheroleoftheindividualwithinthem.
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The artists’ installations will be accompanied by a robust series of free public programs that aim to
increasecross-culturaldialogueandexpandunderstandingofcontemporaryartfromthisvibrantregion.
Programming will include panel discussions with artists and artistic leadership from the area, film
screenings,andworkshopsdevelopedforfamilieswithyoungchildren.Thefulllistofpublicprograms
canbefoundonthewebsite:http://www.honolulubiennial.org
Tomorrow, March 8, marks the public opening celebration, which features Native Hawaiian artist and
kupunaelderAlLagunero,whoispresentinganewlycommissionedperformancepiece,TheNatureof
Nature (2017), inspired by Japanese monk Myoe (1173-1232), who lived at Kozanjo Temple in the
mountains outside Kyoto and wrote Letter to the Island. Honolulu Biennial artists and curators will be
present, with Honolulu Biennial artist Marques Hanalei Marzan presenting a live fashion show.
Complementingtheartisticofferingsattomorrow’sopeningcelebration,musiciansTavanaandLopaka
willperformandavarietyofdeliciousfoodtrucks,drinksandaMoribyArt+FleaArt+Fleapop-upshop
will be onsite at The Hub. Ongoing financial and logistic contributions from title sponsor, The Howard
Hughes Corporation®, have enhanced the scope of the grassroots efforts and range of the Biennial,
allowingforagreaterselectionofartistsandsitesfortheevent,aswellasthecentrallocationatWard
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Village®.
Thecomprehensivelistofparticipatingartistsfollows:
VernonAhKee,Australia
Islands
Zealand
SamaAlshaibi,USA
MohammadKazem,U.A.E.
LisaReihana,NewZealand
AlfredoandIsabelAquilizan,
YukiKihara,New
ChrisRitson,Hawaiʻi
Australia/Philippines
Zealand/Samoa
MichelleL.SchwengelAndrewBinkley,Hawaiʻi
CharltonKūpa’aHee,
Regala,Hawaiʻi
DrewBroderick,Hawaiʻi/USA
Hawaiʻi
GregSemu,New
JaneChangMi,Hawaiʻi/USA
YayoiKusama,Japan
Zealand/Samoa
KailiChun,Hawaiʻi
AlLagunero,Hawaiʻi
teamLab,Japan
SeanConnelly,Hawaiʻi
AlexanderLee,Tahiti
JohnVea,New
BeatriceGlow,USA
LesFilterFeeders,Hawaiʻi
Zealand/Tonga
BrettGraham,NewZealand
MariquitaMickiDavis,
ZhanWang,China
MarquesHanaleiMarzan,
Guam/USA
LynneYamamoto,USA
Hawaiʻi
LeeMingwei,Taiwan/USA
Ken+JuliaYonetani,
ChoiJeongHwa,Korea
EkoNugroho,Indonesia
Japan/Australia
KathyJetn̄ ilKijiner,Marshall
FionaPardington,New
Thecomprehensivelistofexhibitionsitesisasfollows:
TheARTSatMarksGarage
BernicePauahiBishopMuseum
FosterBotanicalGarden
HawaiʻiPrinceHotel
HonoluluHale
HonoluluMuseumofArt
TheHubatWardVillage®
IBMBuildingatWardVillage®
ShangriLa,ACenterforIslamicArtsandCultures
SPONSORSANDPARTNERS
TITLEANDFOUNDINGSPONSOR
CreativeNewZealand
HowardHughesCorporation,WardVillage
DISTINGUISHEDSPONSORS
FOUNDERS’CIRCLE
HawaiʻiTourismAuthority
StateofHawaiʻi,StateLegislatureofHawaiʻi
KoreaFoundation
TaijiandNaokoTerasakiFamilyFoundation
NeimanMarcus
CURATOR’SCIRCLE
BENEFACTORS
BankofHawaiʻiFoundation
BarjeelArtFoundation,Sharjah,UAE
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CognoscentiJapanLLC
DonQuijote(USA)Co.,Ltd.
EngagingtheSenses
HawaiʻiGas
HOSPITALITYSPONSORS
HawaiʻiPrinceHotelWaikiki
TheSurfjackHotel&SwimClub
Halekulani
CREATIVEPARTNER
NellaMediaGroup
MEDIASPONSORS
AnthologyMarketingGroup
ArtAsiaPacific
ArtMonthlyAustralasia
ArtNewsNewZealand
artnet
HonoluluMagazine
PacRimMarketingGroupInc.
Stryker,Weiner&Yakota
SummitMagazine
VALUEDSPONSORS
A&EEquipmentRentalsInc.
AccelPartyRentalsandDesign
Aēsop
AirTahitiNui
AlertAlarmofHawaiʻi
Alston,Hunt,Floyd&Ing
EnterpriseHoldings
HardwareHawaiʻi
HomeDepot
DistinguishedSponsors
YusakuMaezawa
YojiShimizu
Benefactor
HonBlue
KellyAnnBrownFoundation
MoriArtMuseum
ProServiceHawaiʻi
SouthernGlazer’sWineandSpirits
COMMUNITYPARTNERS
ArtExplorium
TheARTSatMarksGarage
BernicePauahiBishopMuseum
CenterforPacificIslandsStudies,Schoolof
PacificandAsianStudiesatUniversityof
Hawai‘iatMānoa
CityandCountyofHonolulu
ConsulateGeneralofJapaninHonolulu
FosterBotanicalGarden
HawaiʻiInternationalFilmFestival
HawaiʻiTourismJapan
HawaiʻiVisitorsandConventionBureau
HonoluluHale
HonoluluMuseumofArt
ʻIolaniSchool
OʻahuVisitorsConventionBureau
Mayor’sOfficeofCulture&theArts
MORIbyArt+Flea
NāMeaHawaiʻi
Parley
PeggeHopperGallery
ShangriLaCenterforIslamicArtsandCultures
SustainableCoastlines
TaiwanEconomicandCulturalOffice
Tautai
INDIVIDUALDONORS
Anonymous
CristianoCairati
MichaelandKristenChan
GlenS.andSakieT.Fukushima
AmbassadorOmarGhobash
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JonathanKindred
MeliJames
YoshikoMori
BruceL'Orange
LiLundin
Patron
ShaunaghRobbinsGuinness
GloriaLau
SherronRosenberger
HeatherShimizu
Fellow
DarrylWong
WanaʻaoEldridge
StacyandSamHugh
Supporter
MikeWatanabe
EdithW.Don
BennettLieberman
Friend MonaAbadir
Luminaries
KatherineDon
BarynFuta
BrianDoyle
SuzanneSato
AbouttheHonoluluBiennialFoundation
HonoluluBiennialFoundation(HBF)isa501c3thatsupportsthelocalartsinfrastructureofHawaiʻiwith
global outreach by presenting a new visual arts festival, Honolulu Biennial. The launch of Honolulu
BiennialmarksHawaiʻi’sfirstentryintotheinternationalbiennialcircuit.InadditiontotheBiennial,HBF
operates throughout the year, presenting a series of ongoing public programs and educational
workshopsforthecommunity.
HBFBoardofDirectors:MonaAbadir,KristenChan,KatherineDon,SonnyGanaden,
Shaunagh Guinness Robbins, Meli James, Jon Kobayashi, Gloria Lau,, Li Lundin, Sherron Rosenberger,
TaijiTerasaki,HeatherShimizu,BrettZaccardi.www.honolulubiennial.org
AboutWardVillage®
DevelopedbyTheHowardHughesCorporation,WardVillageisanew60-acrecoastalmaster-planned
community in the heart of Honolulu between downtown and Waikīkī in the Kakaʻako district. Ward
Villageincludesfourmixed-useresidentialtowers–Waiea®,Anaha®,Aeʻo,andKeKilohana–thatare
now under construction and will transform the popular shopping and dining district into a vibrant
neighborhood offering exceptional residences with incredible island and ocean views and a carefully
curated mix of retail experiences set among dynamic public open spaces and walkable streets.
Waiea,whichopenedinlate2016,includes175residencesandtheinternationallyacclaimedrestaurant
NobuHonolulu.Anaha,openingin2017,willinclude317residencesandthefirstMerrimanʻsrestaurant
on O‘ahu. Aeʻo will complete construction in 2018; it will include 466 residences and O‘ahu’s flagship
Whole Foods Market. Ke Kilohana anticipates opening in 2019 with 424 new homes and a 23,000
square-footLongsDrugStore.ThisgrowingcommunityalsoincludesGatewayTowersThefirstbuilding
of Gateway Towers on Ala Moana Boulevard will bring the architecture of world-renowned architect
Richard Meier to the Honolulu skyline. The vision for Ward Village is consistent with the master plan
approvedbytheHawaiʻiCommunityDevelopmentAuthorityin2009,whichallowsforupto9.3million
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squarefeetofmixed-usedevelopment,convertingintomorethan4,000residencesandoveronemillion
square feet of retail space. Ward Village is Hawaiʻi’s only LEED-ND Platinum-Certified project and the
largest neighborhood development in the country to receive such a prestigious certification. The
InformationCenterandResidentialSalesGalleryislocatedattheiconicIBMBuildinglocatedat1240Ala
MoanaBlvd.Formoreinformation,visitwww.wardvillage.com.
AboutTheHowardHughesCorporation®
The Howard Hughes Corporation owns, manages and develops commercial, residential and mixed-use
real estate throughout the U.S. Our properties include master planned communities, operating
properties, development opportunities and other unique assets spanning 14 states from New York to
Hawai‘i.TheHowardHughesCorporationistradedontheNewYorkStockExchangeasHHCwithmajor
officesinNewYork,Columbia,MD,Dallas,Houston,LasVegasandHonolulu.Foradditionalinformation
aboutHHC,visitwww.howardhughes.com,orfindusonFacebook,Twitter,Instagram,andLinkedIn.
SafeHarborStatement
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wordssuchas“will,”“believe,”“expect,”“enables,”“realize,”“plan,”“intend,”“assume,”“transform,”
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Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management’s expectations,
estimates,assumptions,andprojectionsasofthedateofthisreleaseandarenotguaranteesoffuture
performance.Actualresultsmaydiffermateriallyfromthoseexpressedorimpliedinthesestatements.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are set forth as risk factors in The Howard
Hughes Corporation’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Quarterly and
Annual Reports. The Howard Hughes Corporation cautions you not to place undue reliance on the
forward-looking statements contained in this release. The Howard Hughes Corporation does not
undertakeanyobligationtopubliclyupdateorreviseanyforward-lookingstatementstoreflectfuture
events,informationorcircumstancesthatariseafterthedateofthisrelease.
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Formoreinformation,pleasecontact:
AlinaSumajin/SaschaFreudenheim
PAVECommunications&Consulting
[email protected]/[email protected]
646-369-2050/917-544-6057
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