Cade Roster
8th Grade, 2008
mixed media
13 x 7 x 4 inches

The Contemporary Museum Biennial of Hawai‘i Artists (VIII)

March 29 – August 17, 2008

Inaugurated in 1993, The Contemporary Museum Biennial of Hawai‘i Artists (VIII) presents a selected sampling of exceptional recent work by Hawai‘i artists. The selected artists collectively represent the remarkable range of contemporary expression in Hawai‘i, highlighting the diversity of viewpoints, ideas, styles, media, and techniques flourishing in a place located far from other centers of contemporary art.

The exhibition includes seven invited artists: Three from Oahu, two from Maui, and one each from Kauai and Hawai‘i. Each artist is provided with a space and is able to show a body of work or develop an installation.

Eli Baxter’s installations and sculptures crafted from meticulously cut pieces of recycled bicycle inner tubes and rubber, explore themes of transformation and growth as well as recycling and rejection. Her installation entitled A Delicate Inquiry into Mixed Emotions was created specifically for the Laila Twigg-Smith Gallery.

Mulit-media artists Vincent Goudreau and Javier Martinez present an installation featuring paintings, photographs and a three-part video, Sub-Paradise. This poignant video examines perceptions of paradise weaving together 1940s newsreels, tourist tapes, contemporary imagery, and a personal profile of a local man named Ozzie.

Well known for her drawings and paintings, TCM is pleased to present two sculptural installations by Yida Wang with accompanying works on paper.These recent works were created in response to her observations of cultural change during recent visits to China.

Wayne Zebzda is a multi-media artist who lives and works on the island of Kauai. For his witty and thought provoking installation, Zebzda combines traffic signs in ways that offer fresh interpretations of objects guiding our every day actions.

Meidor Hu moved with her family to Oahu from China at age 10. Hu will be exhibiting her Chinese Opera series of digital photographic images. Ten years in the making, this series depicts the artist costumed as various Chinese opera characters juxtaposed against the rugged beauty of national parks throughout the country.

Cade Roster lives and works on the island of Oahu. Inspired by Japanese manga, Roster created a series of mixed-media bear-like sculptures entitled Plush Gaiden along with new drawings. Roster will also create a site-specific installation that links an inside gallery hallway with the outside Japanese garden.

To enhance the educational value of the exhibition for the community, the education department will offer daily docent talks, customized school tours, as well as lectures and workshops with the participating artists and invited scholars.

The Contemporary Museum Biennial of Hawai‘i Artists (VIII) is made possible in part by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts and through appropriations from the Hawai‘i State Legislature and by the National Endowment for the Arts. The Waikiki Parc Hotel hotel is the hospitality Sponsor for this exhibition.

The Contemporary Museum Biennial of Hawai‘i Artists (VIII) is dedicated to James “Bud” Morgan (1918-2007), founding President of The Contemporary Museum Board of Trustees, generous donor, arts advocate, and a true friend of Hawai‘i’s artists.

This exhibition is organized by Inger Tully, Curator of Exhibitions, and accompanied by a full-color, soft-cover catalogue with essays on each artist by arts writer and critic Marcia Morse. The catalogue will be available for sale in the Museum Shop.