“In The Southern Sun,” presented by renowned art collective POW! WOW!, reframes the cultural history of Waikīkī. Photo courtesy of Eleven17 Creative and Pow!Wow! Worldwide.
In his 1889 poem “The Island Rose,” author Robert Louis Stevenson bids farewell to Princess Kaʻiulani as she prepares to leave Oʻahu to study in Scotland. The half-Scottish, half-Native Hawaiian princess—described in the poem as “the island rose”—was the last heir to the Hawaiian Kingdom. Stevenson wrote the poem while staying at her Waikīkī home, four years before the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy.
The line “Her islands here, in Southern sun” inspired the name and concept for a new art exhibit coming to Waikīkī, curated by Oʻahu muralist and POW! WOW! co-founder and director Kamea Namba Hadar.
“It’s like the warm light that bathes everything in Waikīkī,” Hadar said. “It’s rooted in the spirit of the beauty of Hawaiʻi and the heart and the beauty of Waikīkī.”
Despite Princess Kaʻiulani’s efforts to seek justice and protest annexation, Hawaiʻi was annexed by the United States in 1898. She died the following year.
Opening July 21, “In the Southern Sun” features murals, installations and multisensory artwork honoring the original lands of Waikīkī—such as Helumoa, Kapua and ʻĀinahau—inviting visitors to explore its layered past in a new light. Presented by global art collective POW! WOW!, the new street art exhibition will be on view for at least one year at the Hyatt Regency Waikīkī Beach Resort and Spa, located at 2424 Kalākaua Ave.
“In The Southern Sun” is located at Hyatt Regency Waikīkī Beach Resort and Spa at the corner of Kalākaua and Ka‘iulani Ave. Photo courtesy Eleven17 Creative and Pow!Wow! Worldwide.
“There’s a haunting beauty in Waikīkī that many don’t see,” creative director and designer Keola Naka‘ahiki Rapozo said in a press release. “Beneath the surface, there’s memory—ʻāina that remembers. This exhibition brings that memory forward. Every detail, every material, is a love letter to what still lingers here: the shadows of rain names, the outlines of lost streams, and the pulse of a cultural legacy that never left.”
Founded in Hawai‘i in 2011 by Jasper Wong, Kamea Hadar and Jeff Gress, POW! WOW! is now a global collective dedicated to transforming spaces through public art, cultural exchange and community storytelling. The concept for “In the Southern Sun” had been on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hadar said. After curating a similar immersive art experience at Bishop Museum in 2021, titled “The First Decade: From Hawaiʻi to the World,” the team had been looking for a new space to create another POW! WOW! pop-up.
The new exhibition is self-funded by Kimo Kennedy (artist manager and co-founder of Eleven 17 Creative), Jason Cutinella (founder and CEO of NMG Network), Kamea Hadar, and Keola Rapozo (co-founder and creative director of Fitted Hawai‘i). It marks the first time this close-knit group of friends has officially collaborated on a project.
“‘Āina Wonderland & Ahupua’a Hale” by illustrator and owner of Punky Aloha Studios Shar Tuiasoa. Photo by Sarah Burchard.
“Everyone brings something very important and different to the table,” Hadar said. “Everyone here is from Hawaiʻi and wants to see the betterment of Hawaiʻi and the authentic exposure of the artists and art. And so, you know, it works.”
Guests can explore two floors of immersive artwork. The upper floor reflects the changing light of Waikīkī from dawn to dusk. Visitors can walk into and through murals, experiencing them from multiple angles.
“We purposely made it like an experience that you can customize. You just wander, and you find yourself in different worlds,” Hadar said.
Some murals are interactive, including Hadar’s piece “Mālamalama,” meaning “light” or “guiding light”—a reinterpretation of a similar mural previously created at Bishop Museum. The new version features a girl holding light to symbolize passing knowledge to future generations. In contrast to the original, where she looks down at the light, this mural has her gazing upward so that viewers can see her eyes. A remote control allows guests to shift her eyes left or right, bringing her to life as children run behind her backlit hands.
“Mālamalama” by Kamea Hadar (pictured here) represents Hawaiʻi’s youth passing knowledge to future generations. Photo by Sarah Burchard.
On the lower level, visitors—especially children—are encouraged to create their own art. Two giant chalkboards invite scribbles and sketches. Hadar said he designed the space with his three children in mind, making it far from the typical sterile, hands-off art exhibits found in museums.
Nearby, limited-edition hats, shirts and other items by local streetwear brand Fitted will be available for purchase. Produced in small batches, they’re expected to sell out quickly.
Because public murals are largely prohibited in Waikīkī, this is the first street art exhibition of its kind to be hosted in the area. It is bound to draw both locals and tourists alike.
“We’re happy to just bring more authentic local art and culture to Waikīkī,” Hadar said. “Anytime you have local people doing local things for tourists in Waikīkī, it’s a good thing.”
Tickets for “In the Southern Sun” are on sale now at inthesouthernsun.com. They will also be available on-site starting July 21.
@inthesouthernsun | @powwowworldwide
Location:
Hyatt Regency Waikīkī Beach Resort and Spa, 2424 Kalākaua Avenue, Waikīkī, Honolulu, HI 96815 (Located in the former Urban Outfitters store at the corner of Kalākaua & Ka‘iulani Ave)
Price:
General: $30
Kamaʻaina adults (18+): $25
Youth (7-18) : $17
Child (under 6): Free
OPENING ARTISTS
- Shar Tui‘asoa of Punky Aloha Studio — bold, feminine illustrations rooted in Pasifika storytelling (punkyaloha.com, @punkyaloha)
- Jack Soren — Native Hawaiian painter inspired by surf culture, nostalgia, and generational memory (jacksorensonfineart.com, @jacksoren)
- Nicky “Melón” Munoz of Gangway Gallery — graffiti-influenced fine artist known for large-scale murals and dynamic textures (melonjamesoriginal.com, @olboy_melon)
- Jeff Gress — multidisciplinary creative known for typography, installation, and stage design (jgress.com, @pro_gress)
- Kamea Hadar — muralist and POW! WOW! co-founder/director whose portraiture bridges cultural and environmental identity (kameahadar.com, @kameahadar)
- Cory “Kamehana” Taum — Native Hawaiian sculptor and cultural practitioner focusing on place, cosmology, and material storytelling (kamehanaokala.com, @kamehana_o_kala)
- Gavin Murai of Reckon Shop — printmaker and experimental designer blending Hawai‘i streetwear and visual archives (@reckonshop)
- Keola Naka‘ahiki Rapozo of FITTED Hawai‘i — Native Hawaiian storyteller and designer translating ʻŌiwi heritage into wearable culture (fittedhawaii.com, @fitted)
- Noa Hardisty — O‘ahu-based muralist and surfer known for bold lines and layered perspectives. (noahardisty.com, @noahardisty)
- Decor and staging support by Ambient Rentals, a boutique specialty rentals studio based in Hawai‘i.
