Island imagery

Artists depict how other lands share the enigmas of living on a dot surrounded by water

There's a push and pull about living on an island. Space is literally small, cultivating familiarity and a sensibility of "specialness." And yet, as the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt. What else is out there? Does small mean less; more, better?

'Island to Island' "A Collaboration Between Three International Universities" » On view: Through Oct. 5 » Place: University of Hawaii-Manoa Art Gallery » Gallery hours: 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays to Fridays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays » Call: 956-6888

Surely every Hawaii resident has grappled with one or another of these ruminations. But as it turns out, the complexities of island life here aren't unique. A traveling art exhibit at the University of Hawaii Art Gallery makes evident that our joys and challenges are instead rather universal.

"Island to Island: A Collaboration Between Three International Universities" showcases the contemplations on island life of nearly 50 faculty artists from UH, the Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, and the University of Tasmania Launceston, Australia.

The exhibit offers "a particular way of looking at life," said David Hamilton, a sculpture professor at the Australian university who attended the show's opening last week. A sensibility "of 'islandness' precipitated the show."

Some isle residents love the lifestyle so much that they "run away to another island for vacation," he continued. "I'm a perfect example of that. I love (Hawaii).

"And yet, some of us also feel restricted. One Tasmania student said he wants to move to the mainland, meaning Australia. So there's that tension over there, too."

Hamilton and UH Art Gallery director Lisa Yoshihara agree that there's a synergy between the works of Hawaii and Australia, while the difference in the Penang works is striking.

"You can see that they are playing to colonialism and the political," said Yoshihara, noting that their history is similar to Hawaii's.

"Tradition is deeply embedded in their work," Hamilton added. In contrast, "the lines blur a lot in the Hawaii and Tasmania pieces."

Among the works is Hamilton's gleaming metal sculpture, a curved map with compass that connects the three islands, pinpointed by red lights, with dotted lines. UH's Ka-Ning Fong's oils depict Honolulu Harbor, while Penang's Husaini Yaakob captured in a digital photograph a traditional boat floating before a background dotted by an industrial landscape.

"Island to Island" makes its last stop here after having exhibited in Penang and Tasmania.

Yoshihara says the show has gotten her thinking about a "full-on exchange with Australia" that surveys the artists of both areas. That would mean swapping "something like 100 artists in all media" and then having them show their works in galleries all over town.

Such a project would take years of work to pull off, she said.

"But this is how it starts."