One of Wailoa Center’s most popular juried art shows going international

Island artists have a unique opportunity to be part of a first-of-its-kind cultural exchange.

Wailoa Center and Hawai‘i Island Art Alliance — in partnership with Shanghai Abstract Artists Association — are seeking submissions for the 15th annual “Abstract Only” art exhibit, which this year will feature an international exchange between artists in Hawai‘i and Shanghai, with the opportunity for artwork and artists to travel between both places.

“Art knows no borders, and artistic wealth should belong to everyone,” Shanghai Abstract Painting Society President Xu Demin said in the call for submissions for this year’s exhibit.

“Abstract Only” is one of Wailoa Centerʻs most popular juried shows. It’s a celebration of abstract art with a focus on texture, color, composition and line work.

This year’s 15th installment and its exchange opportunity will bring together artists with different cultural backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

“It is deeply meaningful to hold an art exchange in two places with such different cultures and artistic discourse,” Shanghai Association for Foreign Exchange President Zhao Kangwei said in the call for submissions.

Glenn Masao Yamanoha is the juror for this year’s “Abstract Only” exhibit.

Yamanoha was born in 1954 and raised in the sugar plantation town of Waiʻaʻlua on the North Shore of O‘ahu. He attended Seattle Institute of Arts studying graphic design and earned his bachelor’s degree in painting from the University of Washington in Seattle.

He traveled in 1988 to Japan on a Japanese Ministry of Education scholarship to Kyoto, Japan, and did independent studies through Kyoto Shiritsu Geidai (Kyoto City University of Arts) in Katsura, Kyoto.

His goal as primarily a painter was to achieve painterly effects through woodblock printing. He also has experimented with alternative techniques and unconventional tools.

Yamanoha lives in Volcano Village on the Big Island and has taught art at Hawai‘i Community College and Kamanā Senior Center in Hilo and Volcano Art Center in Volcano.

Selected works will be on display Aug. 1-28 at Wailoa Center. Participating Hawai‘i artists will also have the opportunity for their artwork to be shown in December during an exhibit in Shanghai.

Wailoa Center is under the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of State Parks and located within Wailoa River State Recreation Area in Hilo.

“This exchange is the first of its kind for Wailoa Center and [Division of State Parks],” Wailoa Center Coordinator Emily Leucht said in the call for submissions. “With abstract art as the vehicle for this exchange, communication can go beyond spoken languages and delve into our shared human experiences.”

Participation in the exhibit is open only to Hawai‘i residents and kamaʻāina because of the special nature of the collaborative exchange.

Artwork must be submitted online by July 1 at CaFÉ.

Visit the Wailoa Center website for additional information or to get involved with this special exchange for the Abstract Only exhibit.