I OLA KANALOA: 50 Years of Aloha ʻĀina is a multi-venue exhibition of contemporary art presented in collaboration with the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana, a grassroots Islands-wide community organization established in 1976 to protect the sacred island of Kanaloa-Kahoʻolawe. In 2026, the ʻOhana celebrates a half-century of unwavering aloha ʻāina for the Island, a legacy that continues to inspire demilitarization movements in Hawaiʻi and across the Moana today.

On view from August 15 through October 12, 2026, the project features the work of over 20 artists and unfolds across four venues in Honolulu: Honolulu Hale, Aupuni Space, Native Books at Arts & Letters Nuʻuanu, and KĪPUKA – Community Makers Space.

This summer, Tropic Editions contributed to the exhibition through hosting a series of research and signmaking workshops which paid homage to various anti-military and Indigenous movements in the Pacific from the 1970s onward. A copy of our contribution to the exhibition takeaway, with further research about each sign, is available here.

We worked in collaboration with colleagues Malia Osorio and D. Kauwila Mahi (alongside curator Drew K. Broderick and organizer Josh Tengan) to build out an installation titled “Signs of the Times - Past Present Future,” juxtaposing historical signage with current and future verbiage. The installation is now on display at Honolulu Hale until October 12. Mahalo to all who helped bring this exhibition to life: Drew, Josh, Pu‘uhonua Society Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana, and our volunteers Cody Anderson, Leanndra Atilano, Gabbi Lee, Kera Rasavanh, and Kano Watanabe.