In this issue, we talk about art in Hawaii. In Hawaii, where many local artists are active, one can encounter works that are unique in their own way, such as works that capture the colorful nature or express retro images.
Among them, we focused on Sasha, who is holding her first solo exhibition in Honolulu. While she is active as a TV personality and reporter on TV and YouTube, she is also an artist living in Hawaii who has been drawing and studying painting since childhood.
Born in Osaka to an American father and Japanese mother, she spent her childhood traveling back and forth between Japan, the United States, and Hawaii. She moved to Oahu when she was in junior high school and grew up surrounded by the ocean and mountains of the North Shore.
In 2018, she began her talent search in earnest when she was offered a regular role on the TV show “In Love with Hawaii”. When she received the offer, there was no small amount of hesitation, as it meant putting her art studies on hold for a time.
Currently, she has been active in many fields, including weekly Instagram live (@sashaloha_, Japan time: Sundays at 12:00 pm, Hawaii time: Saturdays at 5:00 pm) since 2020, YouTube “Sasha’s New Hawaii,” Aloha Ambassador and Ambassador for Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, and more. Sasha is also active in many other areas, including “Sasha’s New Hawaii” on YouTube and as an Aloha Ambassador for Outrigger Hotels & Resorts.
In addition, she presides over “Sasha’s Support Hawaii,” a “Support Hawaii” initiative that is the cornerstone of all her activities. I want people to know the real Hawaii.” I want to support all of Hawaii’s independent businesses, designers, and artists.” She introduces and supports the sale of Made in Hawaii products. She has continued to donate to organizations working to preserve the culture and protect nature.
Since March, Sasha has been holding her first solo exhibition, “Mālama ‘Āina – Where Islands Breathe,” at ARS Cafe on Monsarrat Street.
When we visited her at the unveiling party this past weekend, the venue was filled with her friends and business associates, and the atmosphere was bright and warm with celebration. The theme of her solo exhibition is “Malama Aina (Heart for the Earth). The theme of the exhibition was “Malama Aina” (heart for the earth), a phrase that Sasha and her children, who grew up in the nature of the North Shore, used to say on a daily basis.
Even as a child, I understood sensitively that to pollute nature was to threaten our very way of life. This time, from my point of view, I painted the theme of the breath of life of the Hawaiian land, the quiet strength of nature, and the cycle that connects the mountains (mauka) and the ocean (makai),” said Sasha. She exhibits her paintings with the hope of expressing Hawaii’s ancient coexistence with nature and conveying this through her paintings. She took time out of her busy schedule to paint most of the works in this exhibition.
Beginning with a work depicting a fern quietly sprouting between lava rocks under the theme of “Beginning,” the main work, Milo’s Flower, expresses “the elegance of a beautiful bloom that does not yield to any environment. Each piece of artwork contains a message, including a mailelei depicting the cycle of returning to the soil, and a work of the sea that evokes the natural phenomenon of “the power of the sea to attract”.
This time, she presented acrylic painting as a new challenge. Her powerful and warm expression, which only a woman who has studied oil painting for many years could produce, was impressive.
The solo exhibition will run through April 15 (Hawaii time), and her art-related items can also be purchased through the website (and can be shipped within Japan).
Sasha is always cheerful and natural. When asked about the source of her energy that keeps her going as a bridge between Japan and Hawaii, such as her art activities and her work as a celebrity, she replied, “It brings me joy to make someone smile. I am happy if I can be of service to people by helping them see the true beauty and goodness of Hawaii.
Finally, …… Hawaii was hit by flooding in March, which is considered the largest in the past 20 years, and the North Shore area in particular was severely damaged. However, many stores have already reopened for business, including Green Room Gallery, an art gallery in Haleiwa that Sasha had previously visited on her YouTube program. The CEO of Green Room, whom we met at a party for his solo exhibition, said that he hopes everyone will come to the gallery, which will help support the staff living on the North Shore. The State of Hawaii has issued a similar message.
I too felt bad about going to the North Shore for fun, but now that I hear that visiting as a tourist is supportive, I am going to try to visit.
© Source travel watch