He me‘e mua.
This weeks offering is a pair of commissioned works within the Pasifika Futurism genre, and they present an important theme that spans a third of the earths surface. What are the qualities we look for in our leaders at a time when humanity sits on the cusp of a multitude of thresholds at once. As life crawled out of the oceans billions of years ago, so too now are we about to emerge upon new virtual and societal paradigms. Perhaps like no other time in history, it is clearer than ever that being human is to be a mighty paradox; we are both problem and solution. Critically, the “We” in this statement needs careful consideration, and it is from the lens of our value systems that facilitated epochs of societal expressions across this Oceanic realm that we need evaluate this conundrum. These two figures, resplendent in garb of enigmatic materials, speak of a time in the future where wealth and power manifest in ways we may find incomprehensible today, for our treasures of the past were not of gold and precious stones, but rather “the fat of the land” and healthy and harmonious populations. We have drifted so far from these values, but my hope is with “circles”. Sickening avarice may come back around to universal truths, and universal responsibility.
There are plenty of examples of dystopian futures where everything goes wrong.
Ho‘ohui offers an opportunity to practice what it looks like when things go right. There will be live music, art workshops, collective mural making with @solomonenos , good food, community vendors, and people who give a damn.
May 22 Friday @capitolmodern | 4-9pm
We can’t wait to see you there.
RSVP → our-hawaii.org/hoohui
Huiiii! MOD Gala 2026 is tomorrow, May 2 at Capitol Modern, and the constellation is gathering. Celestial Concerto unfolds as an offering: art, music, and shared presence braided together, each an expression of the same cosmic lineage that shapes Hawaiʻi as both place and possibility.
I look forward to stepping into this orbit with you…to witness the many ways we navigate by starlight, to honor the stories carried across oceans and time. If you feel the pull, come join us.
Let us gather in this moment of spacetime in support of the arts, for community, and for what continues to emerge!
He kalahea! Mod Gala 2026 at the Capitol Modern is on May 2nd and tickets are still available, though they are going fast! Follow the link below to help support community art programs and flood relief, through a galaxy of art and music and delectables, which are all expressions of the celestial phenomena that makes Hawai‘i a singularity. The theme this year is Celestial Concerto, with work by Hana Yoshihata featured here, tying the cosmos with her experience as a wayfinder across the Pacific. Of the many offerings to be had, I will be hosting an Artists Table called “Galactic Core” where we have a firmament of artists making live art for purchase at a tremendous discount: Kumu Meleanna Meyer, Hana Yoshihata, Sam Shryver, Brady Evans, Gemma Hazen, Kevin Grennan, Sally French, Mariko Merritt, Carl Pao, Cade Roster, Saumolia Puapuaga, Mike Watanabe, Boz Schurr, Pat rick Mizumoto, Reed Glover, and Nikki Aviles. Critically, all funds raised are 100% donations at such a critical time. Also featured here are a collection of new works I created just for this event, and I am calling them “Star Particles” or “Starticles”. Stay tuned for more updates coming next week, and don’t miss out this opportunity to join this orbit in support of the arts at this vital spacetime!
friendsofcapitolmodern.org/mod-gala
“E iho ana o luna”, what is above will be brought low. As part of a prophetic chant, we see this happening in real time, with the incomprehensible levels of crime being committed in our names, and the inevitable fall to come. The work here today, commissioned by an anonymous patron, reflects the need to compost this national identity. Under the quiet light of a full moon, paper stars turn back into soil, then eventually into the first flag we ever flew, the leaf of the kalo plant waving in silver light. Stars and Stripes for Never. Also today, new work for a show opening in a few days at the East Hawai‘i Art Center, 36 views of Maunaloa. For a touch of levity, I chose to go down deep below the earth, going for a perspective which may give us a way to rethink about what we know about our mauna. To tie these offerings together, what is above is brought low, and what is low will be raised up, and the singular nature of our identity as Hawaiians and peoples of Hawai‘i, is a treasure which increases in value within this trend. We have no where to go but up!
We are honored to share a special new fundraiser in support of communities impacted by the floods: Nā Hunahuna(“Particles”), a beautiful collection of small oil painting print cards by @capitolmodern Artist in Residence, @solomonenos , now available in-store at MORI.
A meditation on the idea that within every fragment of space-time, there is a whole other universe, Nā Hunahuna invites reflection on the beauty, depth, and interconnectedness found in even the smallest pieces.
Each print is individually enveloped and blind-packaged, making every purchase a surprise.
100% of proceeds will be donated to organizations providing flood relief and recovery assistance for affected communities.
Visit MORI to experience Nā Hunahuna and join us in supporting relief and recovery. We are also continuing to collect donations for communities in need, so please check our latest lists and updates for currently accepted donation items. Mahalo everyone for your kōkua!
#NaHunahuna #SolomonEnos #MoriByArtAndFlea #CapitolModern #FloodRelief
E hāpai kākou! Here today is a PSA for donations to those affected by floods in O‘ahu, plus new work of which I will be donating, with more info to follow. So many layers of local and global tragedies, and here and now, is how we can continue to kōkua I ka āpau!
Holo ‘ana, meditations on process. This week’s offerings are part of an ongoing series to fill in between projects, as I endeavor to create works for donation to raise funds for various causes into 2026. My brushes are paddles, and I am so fortunate to have the time and capacity to kōkua. With product comes the process, which itself gives back more than it takes. Ideas, visions, narratives, themes flow efficiently and exponentially, with every canvas inspiring 3 more. This is the energy I imbue into each of my works, and through them, my aloha for all who paddle along with me.
Mōhala I Ka Wai, The Water Blooms.
Truth, like water, will eventually make its way back to the surface. A dam has broken, and a generation of work is ahead of us to hold those in power to account. This weeks offerings are all expressions of this sense of purpose, with a one-day mural painted at the entrance of the new shared workspace in Honolulu, Ourspace. Here is a brief Description of the work: “This mural as an anthropomorphic expression of the myriad waterways that flow below and throughout the space and time of Kaka‘ako. Below the asphalt and concrete, the water remembers these ancient paths that connected the Nu‘uanu watershed and the historic fishponds along the coast. The alo, the face of this memory, blooms up and out from the ground, as a sustained conversation about what was, and can be again. Here in this new shared community space, this engagement aspires to bring forth the best from all stop to drink it in”. Coupled with this mural, the first of a series of new community murals has begun around the expanded construction wall at the State Capitol made with the hands of 200 children. Diversity truly is our superpower, and stay tuned for more opportunities for community solidarity in the arts!
Created by @solomonenos , this piece will anchor one of our largest walls and quietly set the tone for what this space is becoming.
Our Space is a creative home for our community — a place to gather, learn, share, explore, and belong. Solomon’s fluid, abstract forms evoke water, movement, and unseen forces. The layered, almost breathing shapes soften our industrial walls and bring warmth into the room.
Rooted in Kakaʻako’s legacy of makers, the work aligns naturally with our vision for what’s next! Mahalo nui to Solomon for this gift, to be unveiled at our soft launch on Saturday.
Nearly 200 fourth grade students from Punahou School joined Artist-in-Residence Solomon Enos at the Capitol for a special mural painting beside the iconic Queen Liliʻuokalani Statue.
Led in partnership with Rodney Acosta and the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, celebrated local actor Moses Goods and the Honolulu Theater for Youth, the mural features the word “Diversity” expressed in sign language — a powerful reminder that inclusion is something we practice, cultivate, and embody together as a community.
Through art, these students explored identity, empathy, and the strength found in our shared humanity. 🎨
Nā ‘Ili o Kahe. Here at the start of Black History Month, the lessons not learned, and the regime’s overt attempts to erase what little progress which had been made, sees us at a time when activism is existential. As part of a hui of creatives, with my Kumu Meleanna, we had the profound opportunity to resist with aloha and art, and with the many hands of the ‘Ewa and Wai‘anae Coast. With the guidance of Kumu Ulukoa Duhaylonsod, as a permanent installation through the Wahipana project via the Mayors Office of Culture and the Arts, and over a couple dozen members of the community, we reset the proverbial stones of 5 subdivisions of Ahupua‘a, ‘Ili, on the western end of Hono‘uli‘uli. I will share more specifics in a post later this month after the opening, but for today here are some process steps in a celebratory form of resistance. The land is the final canvas, and every opportunity to empower community to pick up a brush in harmony with the whole, needs to happen now like never before.
