Hawai‘i State Art Museum Invites You to Face “Fear of the Unknown”

Photo: Courtesy of Hawai‘i State Art Museum

Cool off in the museum’s air-conditioned galleries as you discover the darker side of the Art in Public Places Collection with “Fear of the Unknown.” This exhibition’s 34 works invite you to explore scary topics and unexpected questions. As you make your way through the gallery, take your time and let the artwork draw you in to connect with each intriguing story.

Curator Elizabeth Baxter says, “The inspiration for this exhibition came from me wanting to showcase work from the Art in Public Places Collection that deals with more mysterious, confusing and difficult themes, such as death, fear, extinction and war.”

Photo: Courtesy of Hawai‘i State Art Museum

The 28 artists featured in the exhibition are Michael Barnes, Gaye Chan, Melissa Chimera, Charles Cohan, Calvin Collins, Michael DalCerro, Justin Davies, Solomon Enos, Joseph Feher, Ka-Ning Fong, Sally French, Tiana Honda, Herb Kawainui Kane, Alice Keesing, Laura Konecne with Nathan Ditzler, Scott Katano, Michael Marshall, Michael Menchaca, Meleanna Meyer, Hanae Uechi Mills, Brandon Ng, Abigail Romanchak, Bruna Stude, Russell Sunabe, Norman Tanaka and Ching Wong.

One chilling work that stands out is Bruna Stude’s “Anxiety,” a raw manifestation of her feelings after her mother became tragically sick in 2020 from COVID-19. Another alarming piece is “The Intruder” by Sally French that shows a figure trapped in agony from a traumatic home invasion.

“Infinite Vast” by Nate Ditzler and Laura Konecne. Photo: Courtesy of Hawai‘i State Art Museum

Not all of the works on display are filled with terror though. A few are curious, like “Intimate Vast” by Nate Ditzler and Laura Konecne depicting miniature astronauts on a mission far from home. Ordinary household eggs transform in “Mysteries of a Dozen” by Hanae Uechi Mills. Ka-Ning Fong’s “Pathological Memories” feels like a surreal dream with a familiar glowing Honolulu sunset.

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“Pathological Memories” by Ka-Ning Fong. Photo: Courtesy of Hawai‘i State Art Museum

“There are so many wonderful works in the Collection that require or encourage a little more effort and time from the viewer in order to contemplate and understand,” says Baxter. “HiSAM is a perfect venue to give this opportunity to the public to engage with artwork that reflects and explores these ideas and themes that are so much a part of all of our lives.”

With “Fear of the Unknown,” the possibilities are endless.

Photo: Courtesy of Hawai‘i State Art Museum

On view through summer 2024, free admission, Mon–Sat 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Hawai‘i State Art Museum, 250 S. Hotel Street. hisam.hawaii.gov, @hawaiistateartmuseum

Lisa Shiroma is a correspondent for HiSAM and an artist and art educator. She is the former owner of the HiSAM Museum Gallery Shop, which she ran with partners Aly Ishikuni-Sasaki and Travis Sasaki from Mori by Art + Flea.