Hawai‘i Triennial 2025 programs

Honolulu (January 16, 2025)—Hawai‘i Triennial 2025 (HT25), the state’s largest, thematic exhibition of contemporary art, opens next month across more than a dozen sites of exhibition and programming. Bringing together the works of 49 artists and art collectives from Hawai‘i, the Pacific, and beyond, HT25 will be on view February 15–May 4, at art spaces and public places across O‘ahu and, for the first time, have a presence on Hawai‘i Island and Maui.

Curated by Wassan Al-Khudhairi, Binna Choi, and Noelle M.K.Y. Kahanu, HT25 considers local-global dialogues through a Hawai‘i- and Pacific-focused lens. Entitled ALOHA NŌ, the exhibition challenges commonly held notions of aloha, reclaims it as an active cultural practice, and situates it as a transformative power that is collectively enacted through contemporary art.

Audiences can get a first look at HT25 on February 14, 2025, at Bishop Museum’s After Hours, a popular evening event that features hands-on cultural workshops, kids activities, food vendors, and more. HT25 then officially opens across all sites on O‘ahu the next day, with a daytime event at Capitol Modern and an evening celebration at HT25 HUB at Davies Pacific Center—both in downtown Honolulu.

“We’re excited to kick off Hawai‘i Triennial 2025 at Capitol Modern,” said Karen Ewald, executive director of Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, which oversees Capitol Modern. “The Triennial is an integral part of our visual arts community. The exhibition brings together local and global artists and welcomes audiences from across our Islands and around the world for meaningful exchanges and impactful experiences around contemporary art.” 

HT25 will also offer dozens of free, public programs through the duration of the exhibition, including curator- and docent-led gallery tours, artist conversations, film screenings and discussions, hands-on workshops, poetry and arts writing workshops, performances, and more. These programs were created in collaboration with artists, scholars, and Hawai‘i-based communities to engage with audiences of all ages. 

Program contributors include: HT25 artists J. D. Nālamakūikapō Ahsing, Nanci Amaka, Art Labor, Melissa Chimera, Kahi Ching, Megan Cope, Sione Faletau, Hayv Kahraman, Jane Jin Kaisen, Sung Hwan Kim, Kapwani Kiwanga, Al Lagunero, Nanea Lum, Gisela McDaniel, Brandy Nālani McDougall, Meleanna Aluli Meyer, Brandon Ng, Christian Nyampeta, Tiare Ribeaux, Rice Brewing Sisters Club, Citra Sasmita, Russell Sunabe, Stephanie Syjuco, Salote Tawale, and others, as well as collaborators and guest speakers Afterall Journal, Dr. Bayo Akomolafe, Ikaika Bishop, Dr. Akiemi Glenn, Dr. Mary Therese Perez Hattori, Dr. Kenneth Hayes, Healoha Johnston, kekahi wahi (Drew K. Broderick and HT25 artist Sancia Miala Shiba Nash), Kumu G. ‘Umi Kai, The Pōpolo Project, Wahi Pana: Storied Places, and others.

The undercurrent of these programs is rooted in healing through community engagement—bringing people together to create, learn, and converse, as a reminder that we are not alone in a world increasingly strained by wars, climate crises, and natural disasters. These gatherings aim to foster mutual understanding, offering a space to collectively rebuild from the fragmentation and destruction that permeate both metaphorical and literal landscapes. 

“Since its inception, Hawai‘i Contemporary has been envisioned as a platform of discourse, sharing of ideas, and learning,” said Rosina Potter, executive director of Hawai‘i Contemporary. “We’re thrilled that, on the occasion of Hawai‘i Triennial 2025, we are able to offer a rich and diverse complement of public programs that invite us to be present and share our aloha through conversation, listening, and doing. Through this exchange, we hope to cultivate deeper care for each other and, in turn, for our shared home.”

To learn more about public programs, visit the Hawai‘i Contemporary website. Additional programs will be posted on the webite at a later date.