Opening Reception: Heidi Brandow: This Land / This Body

Heidi Brandow: This Land / This Body
opening reception: Saturday, March 9, 11:30–2 pm
on view: March 9–July 31, 2024

Tia Collection is delighted to announce the Tia x Chatter Mural Project. The Mural Project presents temporary murals by contemporary BIPOC women artists who activate space and community, and is inaugurated with This Land / This Body (2024) by New Mexico-based artist Heidi Brandow, who writes:

“Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) teachings emphasize the profound connection between the ‘āina (land) and our bodies. Since the arrival of Europeans in 1778, Kānaka Maoli populations have endured significant losses, with over 90% of their people perishing due to foreign diseases within the first year of contact, totaling upwards of 300,000 lives.

Subsequently, Kānaka Maoli have encountered persistent obstacles, such as continuous displacement and significantly elevated rates of negative health outcomes, which have contributed to higher mortality rates. Moreover, there has been a disproportionate loss of land over time, prompting many to leave Hawai’i….

As Hawai’i experiences rapid growth and development driven by US and foreign investments, the native flora and fauna are dwindling due to habitat destruction and human encroachment, resulting in the extinction of many endemic species. For Kānaka Maoli living in diaspora, returning home to Hawai’i is a cherished privilege, yet it evokes mixed emotions as it underscores the ongoing displacement of our people and the transformation of once-Kānaka spaces into tourist destinations where we are marginalized and even charged to access our own cultural sites and lands. This mural serves as a poignant reminder of this reality, portraying endangered plants and animals that symbolize the struggles of Kānaka Maoli both in Hawai’i and abroad.

Ultimately, it prompts us to question: What is Hawai’i without Native Hawaiians? Collectively, we (Kānaka Maoli) yearn for our ʻāina hānau (homeland) and for one another.”