tommy hite | burnt & abandoned | 2023 | 47" x 32" | oil and textile on wood
 
 
The exhibition presents artists who explore themes of place, belonging, and hybrid experiences of identity. The works wryly examine under-recognized details of Hawaii ephemera, calling to mind how objects anchor us in a sense of home. They parse identities that are often mixed, with relationships to places that traverse local, indigenous, hapa, and foreign. What is a “local” artist and who can make “local” work? These artists challenge that narrow concept and propose a synthesis of multiple influences where excitement is found in the remix, rather than in a single isolated identity.  
Small details function like a secret key - family photographs or clutter at an auntie’s house - that unlock a type of nostalgia. There is an ode to Asian immigrant resourcefulness and a reverence paid to everyday objects that would otherwise be overlooked. They push back at the fetishized display of our tropical surroundings while elevating common scenes to a kind of magic. These artists ask the question that many in the diaspora hold dear: whether one’s relationship to home is fixed or mutable, real or imagined.
 
Tommy Hite is a contemporary artist born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. His work centers around the concept of contrast, drawing inspiration from his experiences growing up in an urban environment on a tropical island. A child of the 1990s, Hite’s artistic voice is shaped by the cultural influence of hip hop and skate culture, two worlds that have deeply informed his visual language, sense of movement, and creative independence.
 
Of mixed Caucasian and Filipino heritage—referred to in Hawai‘i as “Hapa”—Hite inherently embodies contrast, and his work often reflects this duality as a symbol of cultural identity. He creates imagery and scenes that echo his environment, merging the prestige and tradition of fine art with recycled materials, found objects, and everyday relics.
 
This interplay of classical and contemporary, personal and cultural, results in work that is both visually grounded and conceptually open-ended. Through this, Hite invites viewers to not only engage with what is present on the surface, but also to explore the layered meanings within.
 
Tommy Hite received his BFA in Painting from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in 2017. Since then, he has continued his professional practice as a contemporary artist, participating in numerous group exhibitions and producing several solo shows. He is currently based in Brooklyn, New York, where he continues to expand his practice and engage with new creative communities.