ALOHA NŌ
February 15–May 4, 2025
Hawai‘i Triennial 2025 (HT25)—the state’s largest, thematic exhibition of contemporary art—announces the title and theme of its forthcoming exhibition: ALOHA NŌ. More than a ubiquitous Hawaiian greeting, aloha is a Hawaiian philosophy and way of life. Aloha is an action that embodies a profound love and truth-telling, a practice that has been kept and cared for by the people of Hawaiʻi for generations. This practice of aloha engenders a deep connectivity to ʻāina (land), environment, elements, and each other. By collapsing two, seemingly opposite, meanings—“no” in English with “nō,” an intensifier, in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language)—ALOHA NŌ reclaims aloha from a colonial-capitalist historicity and situates it as a transformative power that is collectively enacted through contemporary art.
Organized by Hawai‘i Contemporary and curated by Wassan Al-Khudhairi, Binna Choi, and Noelle M.K.Y. Kahanu—the first non-hierarchical trio of curators for the Triennial composed of women of color—HT25 is a multi-site exhibition of contemporary art from Hawai‘i, the Pacific, and beyond. After a nearly year-long process of curatorial research and collaboration, the curators arrived at the title and theme ALOHA NŌ; they shared the following remarks:
“This past year was profoundly painful for so many of us—locally, nationally, and globally,” said Kahanu, HT25 curator. “As we thought about the role of contemporary art and the Hawaiʻi Triennial, we kept returning to the notion of aloha, as a means of conversing about healing, solidarity, and shared humanity. ALOHA NŌ allows us to process grief and emerge more whole, and ready to love anew.”
“In aloha I feel the strength and power needed to confront the extreme challenges humanity faces today,” said Al-Khudhairi, HT25 curator. “ALOHA NŌ is a call to action, it is radical love and fierce refusal. Through this philosophy, we hope to share an exhibition that invites viewers to think with us—not only about how to better understand each other and the world we live in, but also to empower us to act and bring positive change. We must learn from aloha to work collectively and with love.”
“Every day, externally and internally, we encounter how broken and torn this world of our time is, as if there’s no space for love. Yet, Aunty Manulani Aluli Meyer, whose articulation and practice of aloha we are indebted to, once told us upon our visit with her in Pālehua, ‘only loving left to do.’ I believe her words emphasize the importance of unlearning mere antagonism and practicing loving in every (im)possible moment and way. I know that possibility is abundant in Hawai‘i, its culture and people. With ALOHA NŌ, I am certain that, together, we will bring that possibility to light,” said Choi, HT25 curator.
On view February 15–May 4, 2025, across the Hawaiian Islands of O‘ahu, Maui, and Hawai‘i Island, this fourth iteration of the Hawai‘i Triennial marks the first time the exhibition will expand beyond the island of O‘ahu. At present, collaborating sites of exhibition and/or programming include Bishop Museum; Capitol Modern; Donkey Mill Art Center; East Hawai‘i Cultural Center; Foster Botanical Garden; Hale Hō‘ike‘ike at the Bailey House; Hō‘ikeākea Gallery at Leeward Community College; Honolulu Museum of Art; Kaimana Beach Hotel; Mānoa Heritage Center; Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design; and Ward Village. The organization is also working with the Honolulu Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts to add further sites of exhibition and/or programming.
“Through the framing of ALOHA NŌ, the next iteration of the Hawai‘i Triennial will explore universal themes through the cultural specificity of place,” said Rosina Potter, executive director of Hawai‘i Contemporary. “We are energized by the collaborative work of the exhibition and inspired by the connections and partnerships we’ve forged across our local and Pacific communities.”
To read a full curatorial statement on ALOHA NŌ, visit hawaiicontemporary.org.
