The Hō‘ikeākea Gallery is thrilled to present My Monumental Summer, a groundbreaking exhibition celebrating the vibrant energy, passion, and nostalgia of the summer season. This immersive event invites six outstanding local artists—three men and three women—to transform the gallery walls into monumental works of art, capturing the essence of summer, love, and the free-spirited vibe that defines the season. For a period of 15 days, these artists will paint live in the gallery, creating large-scale sized pieces that unfold before the public’s eyes. This unique approach allows visitors to witness the creative process in real time, engaging with the artists as their visions take shape and evolve. Each artwork will reflect the individual artist’s interpretation of summer—whether it’s the golden hues of a beach sunset, the intensity of summer romance, or the endless motion of waves under the sun.

My Monumental Summer is not just an exhibition; it’s an experience. It invites the community to embrace art as a living, breathing expression of time and place. By fusing spontaneity, scale, and creativity, this show will capture the fleeting yet powerful essence of summer and the emotions it stirs. Join us at the Hō‘ikeākea Gallery and witness summer in the making—live, unfiltered, and larger than life. Come celebrate the season with us, where art is not only seen but felt, shared, and lived. All live paintings will be recorded, streamed live, and shared on social media, allowing a wider audience to engage with the artists and experience the creative journey as it unfolds. With Kris Goto, Boz Schurr, Erik Sullivan, Kate Wadsworth & Tom Walker

“Like the Green Fig Tree”

Boz Schurr Artist Statement:

Although there is one remaining still life on view, this canvas could be considered a complete body of work. Underneath the final red surface are nine other paintings, each representing nine personal, pivotal summers or seasons of life. Each object in every respective composition holds personal messages from the artist to the artist, in a quiet, visual conversation about the past, present and future.

While it’s impossible to say concisely what each and every symbol represents, my “summer” imagery is very personal, exploring many symbols of childhood memory to current environmental concerns to island living as a settler. It’s a bright and colorful piece but the personal themes are stark, and mournful. The blueberries mark years of life, the figs are choices made and unmade, and the fish tail could be the beginning of the end. It is the first time in a long time I have felt so personally re-engaged with creating a piece of art that, simultaneously, both appeals visually to a general audience but also, and most importantly, allowed me time and a space to express myself conceptually.

The canvas piece became very process based, and the art itself became more about the video and documentation, and artifacts (see the salon pieces) than the actual canvas itself. The act of painting and repainting a meditative obliteration. I like the idea of working with things that are ephemeral and would like to explore more about the nature of making work that is heavily focusing on documentation and creation/destruction rather than the final production in the future.