“The works here offer a glimpse into my experimentation and processes of working with forms that expand upon the uses of traditional kapa (barkcloth) as a primary medium. From suspended installation, to large-scale wall-based ‘quilts,’ wearable objects, and mixed-media approaches, these pieces push the boundaries of this ancestral material while acknowledging its deep cultural history and significance. These visual forms and installation methods, innovative and contemporary in nature, are not things you’d see my ancestors doing hundreds of years ago. Nevertheless, the roots of these textiles and organic media continue to resonate through my intentional materiality, use of customary motifs, and emphasis on elevating craft as fine art.”

Still Finding My Way Back Home, (2025)

This installation is part of a larger body of mixed-textile works that seek to empower my community through the celebration of the cultural intersections that we collectively embody. Like so many who call Hawaiʻi home today, I was raised within my Native Hawaiian and Japanese heritages, growing up learning both languages and taking part in practices unique to each community. Despite so much cultural overlap in the roots of my upbringing, there are many complex intersectional histories that were often overlooked or understated, including racial conflict, economic disparity, displacement, and social assimilation. This piece seeks to address these long-spanning themes by incorporating textile traditions and narrative patterns specific to both my Native Hawaiian ancestors and my Japanese ancestors who left their country to work on plantations. By individually hand-stitching each textile fragment together, this ‘quilt’ intentionally mirrors the many generations of intricate, interwoven cultural relationships unique to Hawaiʻi and its people. The traditional textiles used throughout our lives, such as kapa and silk, are inherently reflective of place, time, and connection, and by combining them in a manner that honors their uniqueness yet blurs the line between them, I aim to represent these narratives through a quilt greater than the sum of its parts.

Hoʻoulu Pū (Growing Together), 2024

These tapestries, made from hand-stitched and beaten traditional Hawaiian barkcloth (kapa), speak to the ongoing histories of connection and exchange between Native Hawaiians and Indigenous communities in the Pacific Northwest, dating back to at least 1787. With Hawaiian quilt patterns representing plants from both Oregon and Hawaiʻi that carry deep cultural and ecological significance, these stories of relationship-building are told through the flora we grow alongside. In doing so, this piece also works to honor the original stewards of the land on which Portland State University is now located, including the Multnomah, Siletz, Wasco, Molalla, Kathlamet, Kalapuya, Atfalati, Chinook, and Cowlitz, among others.

Mele O Nā Kaukani Wai (Song of a Thousand Waters), 2018

Mele O Nā Kaukani Wai (Song of a Thousand Waters) addresses the need for an integration of Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and contemporary Western science as we work to find solutions to ongoing climate change and environmental degradation. To approach these complex and multifaceted subjects, Lehuauakea uses the metaphor of the muliwai — where the river meets the sea, where saltwater and fresh water intertwine. The artist also employs Native Hawaiian dye and ochre paint techniques and traditional ʻohe kāpala patterns and motifs, alongside commercially available gouache, again alluding to the need for a weaving of different approaches to achieve a shared vision. As Native Hawaiians, like many Indigenous peoples of the Pacific, face firsthand the violent sociopolitical effects of global ecological decline, it is critical to look to Native ways of relating to each other, the lands and waters, and ourselves so that we may find better modes of moving into an uncertain future. Like the muliwai, the converging of various streams of knowledge will often be chaotic and churning, however it is vital to the continuity of life as we adapt to the fluctuations of a constantly changing environment.

Ka ʻŌhū Loa O Ke Kai Uli (A Great Swell from the Deep Ocean), 2022

Ka ʻŌhū Loa O Ke Kai Uli is an installation that honors four different wāhine (female) deities with important ties to surfing in Native Hawaiian mythologies and oral histories. Through hand-made kapa (traditional bark cloth) hung in cascading forms reminiscent of ocean waves, each ‘wave’ represents one of these four beings — Keaomelemele, Hiʻiakaikapoliopele, Hina, and Laʻamaomao. The patterns held on each length of kapa, hand-painted and stamped using traditional ʻohe kāpala printing tools, symbolize the unique stories and energies embodied by these wāhine. Often overlooked by modern surf culture, this piece seeks to recognize and pay tribute to the women of surfing, without whom the spiritual and cultural history of the sport would not be the same.

Ka Muliwai, Ke Ola (The Estuary, The Life), 2022

Ka Muliwai, Ke Ola (The Estuary, The Lifeforce) is a mixed-media wall-mounted installation inspired by the abundance of waters — through the land and into the oceans — that flow in and around the Puget Sound region. In Native Hawaiian culture, plentiful water is equated to wealth, and its preservation is paramount in daily life. Using colorful traditional patterns and motifs typically seen on Hawaiian kapa, or bark cloth, the piece symbolizes the water’s journey from the mountains to the sea, representing dense forests, flowing streams, schools of fish, sea urchins, and more. As every being owes its life to the health of our waters, it is critical we recognize our role within this larger ecosystem.

E Hoʻāla Ka Lupe (To Awaken the Kite), 2023

Funded by a Native Arts and Cultures Foundation LIFT Grant, this project sought to recreate traditional Native Hawaiian barkcloth kites using only natural materials gathered by the artist. Compiling archival, personal, and communal research, these kites celebrate the lesser-known custom of Hawaiian kite-flying as a tool for fishing, weather reading, divination, and pastime for those of high rank.

Wearables, 2019-2024

An ongoing series of hand-stitched wearable cloaks made using Hawaiian barkcloth and Japanese kimono silk from the artist’s family. Each cloak is modeled after the shape of traditional Native Hawaiian ʻahuʻula (feathered capes), and tell a unique story about the artist’s personal identity — relating to community, family lineage, and cultural preservation. The dense adornment, patchworking of different fabrics, and hand-embroidery become a meditative way of paying homage to one’s heritage.