The artists of Lana Lane Studios are so diverse, it’s hard to find the connective tissue of the group’s new exhibition at The ARTS at Marks Garage — except to say all the pieces are just tastes of the talent that resides in the studio’s Kakaako warehouse.
Pieces include paintings, drawings, graphic design, photography and even a vintage motorbike.
The collaborative exhibit is a first for Lana Lane, which formed in 2012. The studio is home to 25 artists, each with their own space to create. But group member Hadley Nunes also stressed that while the artists are very much independent, they support each other as a community.
"We benefit from coexisting," said Nunes, who helped coordinate the exhibit. "We work together; it’s not so much independent units."
| WORKS FROM LANA LANE STUDIOS
» On exhibit: Through March 29; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays
» Where: The ARTS at Marks Garage, 1159 Nuuanu Ave.
» Call: 521-2903
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Artists featured in the exhibit, which runs through March 29, include Nunes, Lana Lane director Jeffrey Gress, Kahiau Beamer, Yamato Cibulka, Kenji Doughty, Ekundayo, Anton Glamb, Adam Jung, Nick Kaleikini, Danny King, Kai‘ili Kaulukukui, Cory Kamehanaokala Holt Tatum, Ryan Miyamoto, Gavin Murai, Matt Ortiz, Roxy Ortiz, Puff, Michael Shapiro and Anthony Vallejo-Sanderson.
Near the gallery entrance along the Pauahi Street window hang four black-and-white photographs by Jung. Taken at the temples of Angkor in Cambodia, they show ruins engulfed by tree roots, illustrating the "decay of nature alongside the decay of architecture," Nunes explained.
"You’re just capturing this moment in time. It’s going to change. It’s ephemeral. It’s impermanent. And so, for him, that’s what he gravitated towards."
Jung further played off this idea of decay by creating a series of Polaroid film transfers. Three temple images are imprinted on rice paper, which have noticeably deteriorated and will continue to do so.
Nunes’ pieces include paintings inspired by her time at Iolani Palace. She worked with the palace to establish an artist residency and spent four months studying historical objects for her works.
"During that time, I wasn’t allowed to touch any of the artifacts, but I worked with the curatorial department to select artifacts and arrange them for still-life for paintings," said Nunes, who also has her own exhibit, "Still Life Arrangements & Layers Through Time," at the Hawaiian Airlines corporate headquarters through March 28.
A sampling of the show is on display at Marks Garage. In one abstract painting, Nunes uses a paleolithic sculpture as her point of reference.
"It’s an improvisation or a play on the theme of objects and how their meanings change through association and the way in which everyone who comes to the painting can bring their own story," she said.
