artXchange • Public Opening • Where Art Meets Science Talk
Join us for the public opening of artXchange. Take an in-person look at the artwork in artXchange auction, which features more than 50 artists from Hawai‘i, the Pacific, and beyond. Learn more about the show and talk story with the artists (both local and visiting) who are in town.
Don’t miss a compelling conversation between artXchange and Hawai‘i Triennial 2022 (HT22) artist Michael Joo (New York) and John Burns (Hilo, Hawai‘i Island) and Kailey Pascoe (Kāne‘ohe, O‘ahu) of The MEGA Lab, who will discuss how art and science converge to inspire and improve our daily lives and the health of our oceans. Joo’s invitation to participate in HT22 catalyzed his active exploration of the Hawaiian Islands. His collaborations with researchers from The MEGA Lab have helped shape further developments of his OG:Crystal Reef project.
artXchange Public Viewing | RSVP
SUN • MAY 21 • 2pm–4pm
Royal Hawaiian Center | Waikīkī
2201 Kalākaua Ave • C302
Building C • 3rd Floor
Next to Noi Thai Cuisine
2pm | See artXchange + Meet the Artists
3pm | Where Art Meets Science: Michael Joo + The MEGA Lab in Conversation
Michael Joo’s artworks investigate concepts of identity and knowledge in a hybrid, contemporary world. His work often blends and collides seemingly disparate elements such as science and religion, fact versus fiction, and high and low culture. Human intervention in nature and the forms generated by these intersections is a recurring backdrop for his work. Using a range of materials and media, and with an emphasis on process, Joo juxtaposes humanity’s various states of knowledge and culture, addressing the fluid nature of identity itself, and prompting us to question how and why we perceive the world as we do. In performance/video works, he has swam through a ton of MSG, waited in the wild for elk to lick salt off of his body, and walked against the flow of crude oil along the Trans Alaskan Pipeline.
About The MEGA Lab (Multiscale Environmental Graphical Analysis Lab)
The MEGA Lab is a nonprofit collective of research scientists that believes that SCIENCE IS GOOD, and everyone can benefit from science no matter what walk of life we choose. The MEGA Lab trains and works with individuals who see the world creatively, making way for new scientific experiences; shares scientific stories that redefine how a scientist looks, acts, and feels; and develops technology to inform climate action, preserve marine ecosystems, and promote human environmental interaction.
John Burns is the secretary of The MEGA Lab and Associate Professor at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo. Prof. Burns specializes in coral reef ecology and data science. His research uses novel modeling techniques to characterize some of the most resilient reefs on the planet. His work has been highlighted by Rolex, National Geographic, Forbes, and Surfer Magazine. He has also contributed to award-winning documentaries such as Chasing Coral, Reefs at Risk, and Island Earth.
Learn more about artXchange.
