Home —> Homeless: A Creative Thesis

Abstract

Many travel posters portray Hawai‘i as a pristine paradise, with an abundance of natural resources, and as the playground of the Pacific. However, in actuality, the tourism industry has a detrimental impact on Hawai‘i’s natural environment and its Native inhabitants.

Tourism brought in foreign investment which skyrocketed the real estate price and the cost of living. As a multinational development tool, tourism has demonstrated a preference for urbanization and systematic displacement of indigenous communities from their natural, cultural, and social resources. As a result, it reduces local self-sufficiency. For some indigenous people, the loss of land means a loss of livelihood and a sense of purpose in life.

In this painting, I use the iconic Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Waikiki beach as a backdrop to represent Hawai'i's tourism industry and urban development. The name Royal Hawaiian has nothing to do with Hawaiian royalties. The hotel was the product of a business venture and was eventually sold to Kyo-ya Company Limited, a Japanese corporation.

We don't see homeless camps in Waikiki, not because there are non, it is because in order to keep business as usual, presenting Hawai‘i as a top travel destination, the authorities routinely sweep away the homeless people, therefore most of them are in rural beaches, bushes, etc. In the painting, I move the homeless camp from Waimanalo to Waikiki to bring them back to visibility. Pictures and images can be deceiving if we ignore what’s outside the frame of cameras.