The Makawalu series draws on foundational elements of Kanaka Maoli design, referencing the rhythmic visual systems found in kapa (barkcloth) and kākau (tattoo). Created through a process that combines traditional relief printing methods with contemporary digital fabrication, these works explore layered ways of seeing—true to the concept of makawalu, meaning “eight eyes” or “many perspectives.”

Herman Piʻikea Clark began by designing core motifs rooted in Indigenous aesthetic principles—geometric forms, directional rhythms, and symbolic repetition. These patterns were then printed onto steel panels using digital technology, creating a precise, modern substrate upon which the traditional process of hand-relief printing was applied. The overlay of hand and machine, old and new, creates a dynamic interplay of surface and depth, permanence and gesture. The steel panels serve as both medium and metaphor: grounding the work in material strength while allowing the printed forms to float, echo, and evolve with each layer. Makawalu continues Clark’s practice of Indigenous abstraction as a space of cultural inquiry and innovation—where visual language becomes a method for engaging complexity, memory, and meaning across time.