Project Description
About the Piece
“Aloha Tower Wa Doko Desuka” is one of Von’s works from his project called KONTRAPROPRIATION, a series exploring non-Native Hawaiian settler narratives in the Kingdom of Hawaii. This project uses the iconic imageries and techniques of groundbreaking artists and their famous works to replicate the artist’s experiences as a settler.
This particular work borrows Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” to illustrate the Aloha Tower, and with the title in Japanese, evokes a tourist asking the viewer, “Where is the Aloha Tower?”
About the Artist
Von is a first-generation Filipino Settler in the occupied Kingdom of Hawai’i. He attended Farrington High School, where he amassed over twenty art awards including two international recognitions.
He attended UH-Mānoa, where his passion for research and museum studies earned him internships and field research opportunities in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington (DC), and Spain. He studied American board games of the Gilded Age and the social history of Colonial Philippines and Imperial Spain. He graduated magna cum laude and with a triple B.A. in American Studies, English, and History in 2016.
Von’s research skills and museum background are reflected in the thoughtful presentation of his works, which are products of his eclectic creative history and nuanced historiographical methodologies. His current projects criticize Western artistic standards through decolonization and indigenous identities.
His works have been featured in several art shows and exhibitions in New York City, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Honolulu. Most notably, he headlined the Coachella Arts & Music Festival in 2017. He has sold artworks in Spain, Germany, and Sweden.
Von is currently a rising third year law student at the University of Wisconsin Law School, where he also serves as the President of the Asian Law Students Association.
This art piece is for sale
This item has been sold. Mahalo