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CONTACT was an annual curated-juried exhibition of contemporary art exploring the notion of contact as it relates to the Hawaiian Islands, its people, and their experiences.
For six years, CONTACT created space for the most innovative, comprehensive, and disruptive contemporary art exhibition in Hawaiʻi. Founded in 2014, the idea for CONTACT can be traced back to the 2012 ‘Ike Le‘a symposium, which stressed the need to revitalize Hawai‘i’s contemporary art scene and to raise our collective awareness of Maoli (Native Hawaiian) artists. In 2019, Pu’uhonua Society, presenter of CONTACT, closed the exhibition with Acts of Faith. This final show set the sun on an exhibition that saw more than four hundred artists, performers, writers, curators, and arts professionals, participating from across the Hawaiian Islands. With the completion of Acts of Faith, the publication of CONTACT 2014–2019 followed, cataloging the six exhibitions with newly commissioned essays. Edited by co-founders Drew Broderick and Maile Meyer, as well as Josh Tengan and Marika Emi, this publication serves as document, archive, and celebration of Hawai‘i’s rich, ongoing cultural and creative legacy.
CONTACT 2014–2019 | publication
Copies of CONTACT can be purchased at Nā Mea Hawaiʻi and Native Books at Arts & Letters. A portion of the proceeds goes directly to continuing the programming of Puʻuhonua Society. If you are interested in using the catalog for educational purposes, please contact Emma at emma@puuhonua-society.org.
