hanabada: once before, again by Dane Nakama

This solo exhibition will run through February 11, 2022.

Some camps had kindergarten, but at that time, I was living in Camp 5, which did not have kindergarten. So when we went to first grade, and the other camp children started singing all this kind nursery rhymes, like ‘ABC’ and ‘Mary had a little Lamb’ we all looked at each other and asked ourselves, ‘Eh, where they learned all these kind songs?’ We never heard these songs befo…

Sunao Nakama (Grandpa Nakama)

I attended the opening night of hanabada: once before, again on Friday, January 14, 2022. This mixed-media exhibition by Dane Nakama highlighted Japanese and Okinawan experiences in Hawaiʻi – including national identity, plantation life, and local culture.

Details

Location

Aupuni Space in Kakaʻako

Exhibition Period

January 14 – February 11, 2022

The Artwork

This winter, at Aupuni Space in Kakaʻako, you can experience hanabada: once before, again, a solo exhibition by Dane Nakama. Artworks are like imaginary friends, an extension of their family, mostly marked with two dots or holes for eyes, initially inspired by the haniwa figures of Japan.

Nakama’s practice emphasizes the act of creating objects that create their own space, rather than simply making physical objects within space. Being raised in a large multi-ethnic “local mix” family, Nakama grew up understanding both themself and their art through the intersections and relationships of identities across personal, cultural, and now digital realms – learning that through hybridity comes community.

The Artist

Dane Nakama is a Japanese-Uchinanchu artist from and currently based in Hawaiʻi. They are a recent BFA graduate of the California Institute of Arts, and have had work exhibited in California, Miami, and Tokyo.

Being Japanese & Okinawan myself, I loved learning about my culture through art! See other art exhibits that have inspired me.