{"id":123910,"date":"2025-07-16T11:00:26","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T21:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaii.com\/?p=123910"},"modified":"2025-07-16T11:00:26","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T21:00:26","slug":"a-new-immersive-mural-exhibition-brings-street-art-to-waikiki","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaii.com\/a-new-immersive-mural-exhibition-brings-street-art-to-waikiki\/","title":{"rendered":"A New Immersive Mural Exhibition Brings Street Art to Waik\u012bk\u012b"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>

“In The Southern Sun,” presented by renowned art collective POW! WOW!, reframes the cultural history of Waik\u012bk\u012b. <\/span>Photo courtesy of Eleven17 Creative and Pow!Wow! Worldwide.<\/p><\/div>\n

In his 1889 poem \u201cThe Island Rose,\u201d author Robert Louis Stevenson bids farewell to Princess Ka\u02bbiulani as she prepares to leave O\u02bbahu to study in Scotland. The half-Scottish, half-Native Hawaiian princess\u2014described in the poem as \u201cthe island rose\u201d\u2014was the last heir to the Hawaiian Kingdom. Stevenson wrote the poem while staying at her Waik\u012bk\u012b home, four years before the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy.<\/span><\/p>\n

The line \u201cHer islands here, in Southern sun\u201d inspired the name and concept for a new art exhibit coming to Waik\u012bk\u012b, curated by O\u02bbahu muralist and POW! WOW! co-founder and director Kamea Namba Hadar.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like the warm light that bathes everything in Waik\u012bk\u012b,\u201d Hadar said. \u201cIt\u2019s rooted in the spirit of the beauty of Hawai\u02bbi and the heart and the beauty of Waik\u012bk\u012b.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite Princess Ka\u02bbiulani\u2019s efforts to seek justice and protest annexation, Hawai\u02bbi was annexed by the United States in 1898. She died the following year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Opening July 21, \u201cIn the Southern Sun\u201d features murals, installations and multisensory artwork honoring the original lands of Waik\u012bk\u012b\u2014such as Helumoa, Kapua and \u02bb\u0100inahau\u2014inviting visitors to explore its layered past in a new light. Presented by global art collective POW! WOW!, the new street art exhibition will be on view for at least one year at the Hyatt Regency Waik\u012bk\u012b Beach Resort and Spa, located at 2424 Kal\u0101kaua Ave.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>

“In The Southern Sun” is located at Hyatt Regency Waik\u012bk\u012b Beach Resort and Spa at the corner of Kal\u0101kaua and Ka\u2018iulani Ave. <\/span>Photo courtesy Eleven17 Creative and Pow!Wow! Worldwide.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a haunting beauty in Waik\u012bk\u012b that many don\u2019t see,\u201d creative director and designer Keola Naka\u2018ahiki Rapozo said in a press release. \u201cBeneath the surface, there\u2019s memory\u2014\u02bb\u0101ina that remembers. This exhibition brings that memory forward. Every detail, every material, is a love letter to what still lingers here: the shadows of rain names, the outlines of lost streams, and the pulse of a cultural legacy that never left.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Founded in Hawai\u2018i in 2011 by Jasper Wong, Kamea Hadar and Jeff Gress, POW! WOW! is now a global collective dedicated to transforming spaces through public art, cultural exchange and community storytelling. The concept for \u201cIn the Southern Sun\u201d had been on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hadar said. After curating a similar immersive art experience at Bishop Museum in 2021, titled \u201cThe First Decade: From Hawai\u02bbi to the World,\u201d the team had been looking for a new space to create another POW! WOW! pop-up.<\/span><\/p>\n

The new exhibition is self-funded by Kimo Kennedy (artist manager and co-founder of Eleven 17 Creative), Jason Cutinella (founder and CEO of NMG Network), Kamea Hadar, and Keola Rapozo (co-founder and creative director of Fitted Hawai\u2018i). It marks the first time this close-knit group of friends has officially collaborated on a project.<\/span><\/p>\n

\""\u2018\u0100ina<\/a>

“\u2018\u0100ina Wonderland & Ahupua\u2019a Hale” by illustrator and owner of Punky Aloha Studios Shar Tuiasoa. Photo by Sarah Burchard.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cEveryone brings something very important and different to the table,\u201d Hadar said. \u201cEveryone here is from Hawai\u02bbi and wants to see the betterment of Hawai\u02bbi and the authentic exposure of the artists and art. And so, you know, it works.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Guests can explore two floors of immersive artwork. The upper floor reflects the changing light of Waik\u012bk\u012b from dawn to dusk. Visitors can walk into and through murals, experiencing them from multiple angles.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe purposely made it like an experience that you can customize. You just wander, and you find yourself in different worlds,\u201d Hadar said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some murals are interactive, including Hadar\u2019s piece \u201cM\u0101lamalama,\u201d meaning \u201clight\u201d or \u201cguiding light\u201d\u2014a reinterpretation of a similar mural previously created at Bishop Museum. The new version features a girl holding light to symbolize passing knowledge to future generations. In contrast to the original, where she looks down at the light, this mural has her gazing upward so that viewers can see her eyes. A remote control allows guests to shift her eyes left or right, bringing her to life as children run behind her backlit hands.<\/span><\/p>\n

\""M\u0101lamalama"<\/a>

“M\u0101lamalama” by Kamea Hadar (pictured here) represents Hawai\u02bbi’s youth passing knowledge to future generations. Photo by Sarah Burchard.<\/p><\/div>\n

On the lower level, visitors\u2014especially children\u2014are encouraged to create their own art. Two giant chalkboards invite scribbles and sketches. Hadar said he designed the space with his three children in mind, making it far from the typical sterile, hands-off art exhibits found in museums.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nearby, limited-edition hats, shirts and other items by local streetwear brand Fitted will be available for purchase. Produced in small batches, they\u2019re expected to sell out quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because public murals are largely prohibited in Waik\u012bk\u012b, this is the first street art exhibition of its kind to be hosted in the area. It is bound to draw both locals and tourists alike.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re happy to just bring more authentic local art and culture to Waik\u012bk\u012b,\u201d Hadar said. \u201cAnytime you have local people doing local things for tourists in Waik\u012bk\u012b, it\u2019s a good thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tickets for \u201cIn the Southern Sun\u201d are on sale now at<\/span> inthesouthernsun.com<\/span><\/a>. They will also be available on-site starting July 21.<\/span><\/p>\n

In The Southern Sun<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

@inthesouthernsun | @powwowworldwide<\/span><\/p>\n

Location:<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hyatt Regency Waik\u012bk\u012b Beach Resort and Spa, 2424 Kal\u0101kaua Avenue, Waik\u012bk\u012b, Honolulu, HI 96815 (Located in the former Urban Outfitters store at the corner of Kal\u0101kaua & Ka\u2018iulani Ave)<\/span><\/p>\n

Price:<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

General: $30<\/span><\/p>\n

Kama\u02bbaina <\/span>adults (18+): $25<\/span><\/p>\n

Youth (7-18) : $17<\/span><\/p>\n

Child (under 6): Free<\/span><\/p>\n

OPENING ARTISTS<\/b><\/p>\n