Every First Friday evening of the month, DAC joins other creative organizations in the Chinatown Arts District with special art activities, performances, make & take crafting projects, exhibition opening receptions, artist meet & greets, and more!

Photo: IONA Contemporary Dance Theatre

Photography, in its most literal sense, means “drawing with light.” When you take a picture, the camera’s aperture opens briefly to capture rays of light on a photosensitive surface within. Darkness, however, has also been a source of fascination for photographers.

 See how Ansel Adams, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, O. Winston Link, Richard Misrach, Sonya Noskowiak, and Edward Weston used the medium to bring images out of the shadows. 

As its name suggests, black-and-white film photography is always a push and pull of light and dark. The works here guide viewers into the shadows and into the slow act of noticing what lies hidden within them. 

Fashion trends have always been deeply connected to the economy and society. Amid the recent tumultuous economic times, contemporary fashion has seen a shift toward minimalism and sustainability, with people avoiding large brand logos and vivid colors in favor of simple designs and high-quality, long-lasting materials This shift has given rise to the fashion concept of quiet luxury. And it is not the first time this has happened. 

Acclaimed Nepalese artist Tsherin Sherpa boldly explores the complexities of some of the most pressing social issues of the 21st century, including migration and the ways in which traditional cultures respond to the challenges and opportunities of internationalization. He does this by recontextualizing tradition Himalayan Buddhist art with a new contemporary relevance.  

This major solo exhibition includes more than twenty paintings, sculptures, and a carpet, some of which are well-known artworks that established Sherpa as a significant voice in the world of contemporary art, as well as new pieces on public view for the first time.  

The University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program (Hawaiʻi Sea Grant) is proud to present its annual sci-art exhibit featuring youth ocean art. Running concurrently at three locations across Honolulu, this inspiring multi-venue gallery showcase highlights the creativity, deep cultural ties, and ecological understanding of local keiki (grades 3–12) expressing their unique relationships with the ocean.

The exhibition is a direct community extension of the "Symphony of the Hawaiʻi Seas". The Symphony began as a one-of-a-kind collaboration among cultural practitioners, marine science researchers, animators, educators, and composers who transformed stories based on observations and understanding of the ocean into a symphonic experience. Seeking to amplify the voices of the next generation, students across Oʻahu were invited to share their own voices, understandings, and visions for the future of Hawaiʻi’s ocean.

The resulting exhibition is centered entirely around the theme: "E mālama i ke kai, a mālama ke kai iā ʻoe" (Care for the ocean and the ocean will care for you). Through the eyes of Hawaiʻi’s youth, visitors will be reminded that our connection to the sea is not only ecological, but also cultural, emotional, and deeply personal.

Please visit seagrant.soest.hawaii.edu/symphony-of-hawaii-seas-art for more information.

An evening of art and music at Capitol Modern: the Hawai'i State Art Museum! Free admission, all ages welcome. This event will feature the annual Producer Showcase with Slapp Good. Please note that the museum is closed during the day (Fourth of July state holiday observed) and will open at 5:00 p.m. for the First Friday event.

Free, all-ages evening of island roots and reggae music. Museum galleries are open and the Art + Flea urban market will include local artists and food/beverage vendors.

In Hawaiʻi, Ralph Iwamoto is well known for his later minimalist abstractions. This summer, the Honolulu Museum of Art presents a rare look at an earlier moment in his career, with seven paintings from 1955 on loan from the Vilcek Foundation. 

These works reveal a brief but compelling engagement with Surrealism. During this period, Iwamoto worked in New York City at a shop that sold objects and flowers from Hawaiʻi. His paintings are replete with floral reminders of his native land, combining heliconia, orchids, and other plant forms with skeletal components, set against flat backgrounds reminiscent of Japanese prints. The hybrid creatures are similar to those found in Cuban artist Wifredo Lam’s The Jungle (1942–43).

In the gallery devoted to woodblock prints, explore illustrations of literary works that discuss the concept of filial piety—respectful behavior towards those in positions of authority, particularly one’s own parents.  

On view are prints by Okumura Masanobu, Utagawa Hiroshige, and Utagawa Kuniyoshi illustrating The Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety (1730s), The Tale of the Soga Brothers (1644), and Kanadehon Chūshingura (The Treasury of Loyal Retainers), 1748. 

MADE POSSIBLE BY THE ROBERT F. LANGE FOUNDATION 

TOP BANNER
Okumura Masanobu (1686–1764).  Twenty-Four Paragons of Filial Piety: Guo Ju. Japan, Edo period (1615–1868), early 1730s . Woodblock print; ink on paper with hand-coloring . Gift of James A. Michener, 1991 (21665) .

Special Events

• Free Demonstration by Frank Eber: Sunday, September 27, 2 PM at DAC

• Opening Reception (First Friday): Friday, October 2, 5–8 PM

• Closing Reception: Saturday, October 24, 4–6 PM

  Juror: Frank Eber

  Frank Eber is an award-winning painter and Signature Member of both the American Impressionist Society and the American Watercolor Society. He is also a juried Artist Member of the California Art Club. Born in Europe, Frank apprenticed with Italian master painter Renato Casaro and worked professionally as an illustrator in the 1980s and 1990s. His work in oil and water media reflects a loose, direct style influenced by Old World Masters and the Impressionists.

The state’s largest and longest-running all-media juried exhibition, designed to showcase the best of Hawaiʻi’s contemporary art.