An art exhibit centered around the history and struggles of Korean Americans in Hawaii is open for viewing at Hilo’s Wailoa Center until June 20.

The exhibit, “One Heart: Korean Art and History Across the Pacific,” features art that challenges the romanticized notions of plantation life, while highlighting how the population’s challenges have evolved over time.

“The exhibition is about trying to bring all these sides together to foster a better understanding of what it means to be Korean,” said Seri Luangphinith, an English professor at University of Hawaii Hilo whose research leads the exhibit. “People never expected or wanted the Koreans to succeed, so the fact that they did in spite of it is something to be celebrated.”

Luangphinith first began researching the history of Korean Americans in Hawaii for a 2017 exhibition, reviewing documents such as court transcripts, newspaper stories, abandoned graves and obituaries. The process led her to uncover a plethora of stories about plantation workers who were not only exploited for cheap labor, but also had to assimilate to a new country without family or a support system.

Luangphinith described the history as a Wild West of sorts — celebrated, yet fraught with instances of lawlessness, gender and racial violence, addiction, suicide and more.

Digital artist Gary Chong, whose work is featured in the “One Heart” exhibit, rediscovered his own family’s lost history through Luangphinith’s research. Like many others, his family’s story reflects the trauma inflicted by the era of plantation life, which was inadvertently passed down to him.

“There’s still a lot of pain and anguish in the family, and we never knew why,” Chong said. “Reading about these stories of what happened to the Koreans, that was all new to me. … It was a shock.”

Chong expressed his gratitude toward Luangphinith, whose research uncovered family history for which he had searched for more than 40 years. Despite the emotional realization, acknowledging it allowed him to come to terms with his family’s past through art.

“I’d never really done Asian artwork before,” Chong said. “In a way, this type of artwork is therapy — finally getting to grips with my background.”

Others among today’s generation have similarly forgotten this part of Korean American history, Luangphinith said. Those who read or speak their native language also have decreased, further hindering their ability to recover their family histories, she added.

By revealing these parts of Korean American history, Luangphinith wishes to help today’s generation better understand their background. She hopes that the artwork will inspire them to take ownership of their stories as Chong and many other artists featured in the exhibit have done.

“It’s OK to recognize that there are darker stories,” Luangphinith said. “By giving expression to them … we master how we want to talk about that history.”

The “One Heart” exhibit, which is sponsored by UH Hilo’s Art and English departments, will feature ink impressions of grave sites taken by Luangphinith, alongside the stories of those whom the ink impressions memorialize. It also will include paintings, photography and ceramic work by Korean American artists who hint at their own personal stories in their pieces.

Additionally, a Zoom discussion about Korean American history, the consequences of Asian hate crimes and how art can become a conduit for expression and empowerment will be held June 1, Luangphinith said. Those who would like to attend the virtual session can register by emailing her at seri@hawaii.edu.

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Linsey Dower covers ethnic and cultural affairs and is a corps member of Report for America, a national service organization that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.