I create art because it gives a voice to my environmental concerns. I get to clean up Maui beaches and use ghost-net waste as my medium.
You decide who will appear in Artforum Magazine, take home $25,000, and display their work at The Art of Elysium's Salon!
I’m still learning my style and discovering what I’m good at. So far, I love working with ghost nets. They are destructive, and Hawaiʻi gets a crazy amount of them. This type of pollution offers opportunities to be transformed into beautiful art. I enjoy the hunt for a ghost net; I love not knowing what color or size I might find. Most of all, I value my home, and when something feels wrong, it usually is. So I think I’ll be picking up trash for the rest of my life.
Where do you find inspiration?I grew up in Maui and have worked in conservation for eight years, so I draw inspiration from the flora, fauna, and marine life of the ocean. I’m gravitated toward nature because I’ve learned to care for it since childhood. But I also think my drive comes from wanting to help my environment; it’s like I have emotional strings that tie me to all the special living things we have here in Hawaiʻi. I respect how they support us. I choose to learn more and to become educated about what surrounds us.
What would you do with $25,000?Honestly, it’s hard to live in Maui, just like in many places where prices are rising, but I would use the money for a down payment on a home. My wife and I are hoping to find a home by the end of this year, 2026.
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