Kahilu Exhibits presents solo exhibitions by two contemporary artists with deep ties to Hawaiʻi whose artwork explores traditional Pacific textiles traditions.

Emily DuBois is an internationally acclaimed artist, now living in Portugal, best known for her pioneering work in expressive digital weaving. Her solo exhibition, Escapes, in Kahilu’s Simperman Gallery, presents new abstract mixed media collages and paintings on deconstructed tapa (Tongan barkcloth). After the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea forced the artist to leave her long-time home near Pahoa, DuBois and her spouse landed in Portugal. The work in the exhibit is deeply influenced by the artist’s respect for Pele and the Portuguese concept of saudade, a bittersweet longing for something loved and lost.

In Kahilu’s Suli T. Go Gallery, Maui-based artist, Joyce Jeffers, presents new sculptures and monotype prints made from materials emanating from the ʻāina of Hawaiʻi: lauhala, wauke, cordage, and feathers. Each artwork in Bound Yet Free has elements of interlocking and interconnectedness through processes of weaving, braiding, or sewing. The structures that Jeffers has created appear strong yet permeable, fragile yet enduring. In the artist’s first solo exhibition, viewers are invited to consider what binds and what frees, what is held and what is let go.

Both exhibitions open with public reception on Thursday, June 11 from 5-7pm.