Curator Reflects on Hawai‘i Triennial 2025 Development Through Aloha Philosophy

Wassan Al-Khudhairi, a partner at C/O: Curatorial Office, details her curatorial approach for the upcoming Hawai‘i Triennial 2025 (HT25). Arriving in Hawai‘i as an outsider, she collaborated with co-curators Binna Choi and Noelle M. K. Y. Kahanu and the Hawai‘i Contemporary team. Early engagement included a community work day with the nonprofit Kāko‘o ‘Ōiwi in the He‘eia ahupua‘a, which emphasized restoration of wetlands and introduced the concept of mo‘o (continuity) as a guiding principle. The triennial's theme, "ALOHA NŌ," was developed to challenge superficial understandings of aloha, framing it instead as a profound practice of love, truth, and relational commitment. This theme emerged from local consultations, including insights from Kanaka ‘Ōiwi philosopher Manulani Aluli Meyer, who spoke at the HT25 Art Summit in June 2024 about aloha nō as intentionality. The curatorial process involved extensive community engagement through town halls on O‘ahu, Hawai‘i Island, and Maui, and time spent at cultural hubs like Native Books. Al-Khudhairi emphasizes navigating the tension between global art circuits and local histories in Hawai‘i, a site marked by historical extraction. The triennial aims to foster care, resistance, and solidarity, inviting diverse participants—natives, settlers, immigrants, and visitors—to engage with these ideals. Al-Khudhairi's previous work includes the 2017 Asian Art Biennial and the 2012 Gwangju Biennale.