b. 1994, Honolulu; lives and works in Honolulu

Three Cones
2023
Oil on canvas, triptych
36 x 72 in

Tommy Hite’s work articulates stories and commentary around the unique surroundings of his upbringing and life in Honolulu’s graffiti and skate subcultures. Incorporating local quirks and inside jokes, Hite invents pictures that are whimsical and fantastical, yet grounded in the social realism of the urban spaces on Oʻahu. Hite’s paintings interrogate perceived notions of Hawaiʻi, along with associated idealized iconography, and juxtaposes them with a reality easily understood and intuited by locals. 

 

The traffic cone has become synonymous with his work ever since he observed the phenomena of a cone on top of a fire hydrant. The sight resembled Disney’s Mickey Mouse sorcerer character in the animation Fantasia wearing a wizard’s hat. The pop-culture icon inspired his intuition to paint the cone on the fire hydrant with the addition of moons and stars. Since then, Hite has explored a multitude of depths regarding the conical structure — from modern streetscapes to the structural composition of Renaissance-era European portraits. 

The starting bid for Three Cones is set intentionally low to underscore the relationships between artwork, market, and audience. “Art is notoriously objectified, viewed as a luxury commodity first and as an artistic statement or conceptual critique second. This series of work comments on the gross commodification of fine art. By destabilizing the stated value of the work, the audience must come to their own valuation of each piece.” 

Born and raised in Honolulu, Hite was creative at an early age, the young artist was know by his peers to dismantle found objects and put together something new from them. At the age of eleven, influenced by street art, he devoted his life to drawing and painting. Since then, Hite would rarely be without his sketch book. Accepted into University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, he naturally gravitated toward the BFA program, where he developed a voice to articulate stories and commentary about the unique surroundings of his upbringing. Hite’s work has been exhibited in multiple exhibitions in Hawaiʻi and is included in private collections.

Note | Individual canvases are magnetically adhered. Shipping size approx 36 x 24 x 6 in. See also | Nothing Going On Here (2023) by Tommy Hite


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All artworks ship from Honolulu. Shipping costs are the responsibility of the buyer. Applicable sales tax will apply to all works shipped within Hawaiʻi. Please note, bidders will be charged for the total purchase price; 3% processing fee, 2.9% credit card transaction fee, plus $0.30 per transaction, if applicable; and any sales tax, based on your registration address. For transactions over $10,000, you will be given the option to pay via wire transfer. Please direct inquiries to events@hawaiicontemporary.org.