"Time before us" in some of our Pacific Island languages, our terms for speaking of the past, ka wa mamua in Hawaiian, or kuonga mu’a in Tongan, translates into “time ahead” or “time in front”. Conversely, when we speak of the future, our terms translate into “time behind”. When we speak about time in these terms we are saying that as we stand in the present we can see clearly the roots and pathways of our history because our past and our ancestors are standing there before us. The future, however, is behind us. We cannot see it. It is unknown and so we look to the time before us to guide us in our present day lives, our decisions, and in the things we create. Our indigenous languages hold so much philosophy and beauty and they teach us so much about who we are, where we come from, and where we should strive to go.

Time before us is a whimsical display of the cultures of the pacific and how our traditions of the past inform the ways in which we show up in our modern world. Each piece is a personification of traditional ideas and practices of the pacific, made modern with bold colors, shapes, and imagination. Every symbol considered. Every detail woven with meaning. Tongan scholar, Epeli Hau’ofa, spoke of the collaborative nature of the arts in oceania and believed that we could propel forward our oceanic mark in the world through meaningful collaborations with other pacific artists and makers.

For this show, I collaborated with Kumu William “Miki” Kalaniopio Cook, on several custom built and carved wooden frames. Miki is a professor of Hawaiian language, history, and traditional wood carving, kalai la’au, and his knowledge and thoughtful perspectives are imbedded into every piece in this show. In every artwork I produce, and in every mark I make, I am guided by my culture, our moana (the ocean), and her people.

This body of work is meant to spark joy and curiosity in the viewer. In the paintings of this collection, lies a journey of modern existence through color, patterns, and the whimsy of our present day and woven into every mark and every brush stroke there is a story of a time before us.

Shar Tui’asoa is a Pacific Islander artist of Tongan decent, born and raised in Hawai’i on the island of O’ahu where she runs her illustration business “Punky Aloha Studio”. She received her Fine Art certificate from Windward Community College in 2010 and earned her BFA in illustration from Laguna College of Art and Design in 2015.

She is full-time freelance illustrator and has created artwork for Target, Disney, Pixar, Apple, The New York Times, Alaska Airlines, Facebook, Amazon, Starbucks, Harper Collins and many more. Shar also spends time outside of her studio painting murals throughout the Hawai’i island chain and the states. Her work is most recognized as a celebration of her Pacific Island culture which she shares through bold color pallets, stylized shapes, and most notably, strong statuesque femme subjects depicting the people of the pacific islands in her oceanic home.

(Artist statement by the artist, Shar Tui’asoa)