Death at sea is sweet… | Mark Hamasaki and Richard Hamasaki Image

Mark Hamasaki

b. 1955, Fort Belvoir, Virginia; lives and works in Kāneʻohe, Hawaiʻi
Hawaiʻi Triennial 2022 artist

Richard Hamasaki

b. 1952, Sapporo, Japan; lives and works in Kāneʻohe, Hawaiʻi
Hawaiʻi Triennial 2022 artist

“Death at sea is sweet…”
12 Silkscreens series
1980
Serigraph
17.5 x 12.5 in with 3 in border
Edition of 25; signed, numbered, stamped

 
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Mark Hamasaki and Richard Hamasaki’s collaboration of 12 Silkscreens began in the late 1970s when Mark was in Switzerland for graduate studies at Kunstgewebeschule Basel (Basel School of Design) and Richard was publishing and co-editing Seaweeds and Constructions in Honolulu. Via snail mail, they frequently corresponded, Richard mailing poetry drafts, along with cassette recordings, and mostly typed letters and Mark sending photographic mockups and long handwritten letters. In 1981, Mark completed a series of twelve silkscreens (a print edition of 25) that have been exhibited in Switzerland, in Honolulu, and most recently during Hawaiʻi Triennial 2022 at Hawaiʻi State Art Museum. In 1986, most notably, all twelve silkscreens were published in The Hawk's Well: A Collection of Japanese American Art and Literature, edited by the late Dr. Jerrold Hiura (1947–2019). The silkscreen “A horse is a snow mountain . . .” is in the permanent collection of Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.

“Energized by their times, friends Richard Hamasaki, Wayne Kaumualiʻi Westlake (1947–84), and Paul L. Oliveira began collaborating on an art and literary publication titled Seaweeds and Constructions (S&C). Self-published by ʻElepaio, S&C is one of the press’ most significant projects. Distributed in small print runs determined by the available shoestring budget at the time of publication, the journal ran for a total of seven issues from 1976 to 1984, providing a much-needed outlet for decolonial and Indigenous expressions. Across its printed pages, the magazine collated a wide range of representation featuring prose, poetry, drawings, prints, photographs, chants, and songs.” — Drew Kahuʻāina Broderick, Pacific Century – E Hoʻomau no Moananuiākea (HT22 catalogue), 2022

“As brothers, Mark and I began creatively collaborating when we were in elementary school. Eventually, in middle school, Mark began developing and printing photographs; concurrently, at the age of 15, I began composing poetry and playing bass guitar in an underground rock band and we haven’t stopped creating. Without the arts, I’m not sure how we would have survived various traumas during our formative years. Since Honolulu’s first Biennial in 2017, we’ve seen how Hawaiʻi Contemporary continues to evolve, grow, and connect locally, regionally, and internationally. Given the myriad conflicts and challenges we face today, it’s clear that the arts are even more important for our diverse communities, our environment and the world at large.” — Richard Hamasaki

Portrait: Richard Hamasaki (left) and Mark Hamasaki (right) with HT22 associate curator Drew Kahuʻāina Broderick.


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Death at sea is sweet… | Mark Hamasaki and Richard Hamasaki

Item #182

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