Displacement. Art of Surviving
Opening on August 1, 2025 at 6pm.
On-View August 2 through September 26, 2025
"Displacement. Art of Surviving", the exhibition explores how two artists, Willie Baronet and Franciszek Orłowski, answer the question: What would you say to the next unhoused person you encounter on the street? It also features photos from Puʻuhonua O Waiʻanae, the sanctuary community founded by “Aunty Twinkle” (Twinkle Borge, 1969-2024).
Like many of us, Willie Baronet wrestled with the awkwardness he felt whenever he passed a homeless person holding a sign asking for help. Unsure of the correct response, he would avoid eye contact while struggling with his moral obligations – until he decided to approach them and ask if he could buy their signs.
During the opening, at 7pm in EHCC’s Kahua ‘Elua theatre, Baronet will present images and talking about “Signs of Humanity” project, his 31-day, 24-city cross-country trek through the United States to engage with individuals and buy their signs.
Artist Franciszek Orłowski has developed camaraderie with homeless persons through deeply personal acts: after striking up a conversation with homeless persons, he would offer to swap personal belongings and clothing with them, stripping down to a vulnerable state in every sense of the word. These exchanged belongings are the basis of his work on view at EHCC.
Photographs from Puʻuhonua O Waiʻanae complement the installations by Baronet and Orlowski, allowing residents there to show themselves as they wish to be seen.
This exhibition was made possible by funding from the County of Hawai’i and McInerny Foundation - Bank of Hawai’i, Trustee.
Full description at exhibit webpage:
https://ehcc.org/content/displacement-art-surviving
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