News Release

Honolulu, January 22, 2024 - The First Hawaiian Center (FHC) art gallery will be featuring the work of local artist Taiji Terasaki, an artist and philanthropist passionate about conservation, through April 12 in an experiential exhibit entitled “On Rewilding.”

Taiji Terasaki is a Japanese-American artist based in Honolulu. Through a formal arts education, Terasaki has spent years exploring avant-garde innovations in his craft, working in photography, sculpture, immersive and large-scale installations, and pioneering mediums like mist projections as canvas. His cutting-edge presentations are often juxtaposed by the subjects of cultural and environmental conservation, preservation, and restoration.

To create the artwork on display at the FHC installation, Terasaki, took part in an artist residency on Palmyra Atoll, one of the Northern Line Islands in the Pacific Ocean stewarded by the Nature Conservancy. Terasaki spent one week on the 4.6 square-mile atoll, observing this pristine ecosystem and the curious interactions between land, ocean and the atoll’s inhabitants. Through his first-hand account and hours of additional research, Terasaki’s multi-media and digitally interactive exhibit will inspire and influence people’s actions and attitudes toward the climate crisis that we face today.

On Rewilding uses multiple creative technologies, both established and innovative, to feature Palmyra’s rich ecosystem. Images of the atoll are fused with Terasaki signature mist photography to convey the delicate and ephemeral quality of a balanced ecosystem, and the resulting visuals are fused with an array of mediums. Also featured in the exhibition will be a live mist sculpture representing the abundant diversity of species found within Palmyra’s coral reefs.

“This art show is the outcome of my deep concern for the environmental future of our planet and my belief that art can capture inspiring conservation work and the feeling of hope that nature can heal,” said Terasaki. “What I saw and experienced on Palmyra Atoll was profound. The natural life of a place that was once devastated by human activity during World War II was alive again – rewilded. This concept of rewilding is what animates my work.”

“We’re excited for the opportunity to exhibit Taiji’s amazing work here at First Hawaiian Center,” said Bob Harrison, Chairman, President and CEO of First Hawaiian Bank, “It is truly one of the most unique and impactful exhibits we have had the pleasure of showcasing within our main branch. It’s not to be missed.”

A long-standing supporter of Honolulu’s arts community, Terasaki has served on the boards of the Honolulu Museum of Art and the Honolulu Biennial Foundation. Most recently, he founded MakeVisible, a nonprofit arts organization to support educational art exhibitions and programs exploring the core concepts of “conserve/preserve/restore.”

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Terasaki’s work will be used to support conservation efforts across the Pacific.

First Hawaiian Center art gallery reopened in March 2022 to support local artists while making their work more accessible to the people of Hawaii. The premier installation for the reopening featured iconic Hawaii sculptor and painter Satoru Abe.

The art gallery located at 999 Bishop Street is free to the public and is open during banking hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday. The installations are curated by Eclectix Design Inc. in partnership with First Hawaiian Bank. All pieces displayed in the gallery, with the exception of artwork pulled from First Hawaiian Bank’s private collection, will be available for purchase. Follow FHB on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for the most up-to-date information and schedule.

About Taiji Terasaki
Based in Honolulu, Hawai’i, Japanese American artist, Taiji Terasaki, creates innovative photographic and sculptural forms and immersive, large-scale installations. For Terasaki, art is the medium to explore our interconnectedness, the ecological promise of rewilding, the fragility of the natural environment, and the textures of the human experience. From the global impact of climate change to immigration and nature’s capacity for regeneration, Terasaki inspires us to believe in our power to engage in the conservation, preservation and restoration of our planet and our creative spirit. He has had exhibitions in Honolulu, Kyoto, Los Angeles and Miami. Terasaki studied in the MFA programs at Hunter College, New York City, NY and California State University, Long Beach, CA. He holds a BFA from the University of California Irvine, CA. For more information about the work of Taiji Terasaki please visit www.taijiterasaki.com and follow the studio on Instagram.