THE PROCESS

In creating Poʻo ʻOle, Clark engaged in an introspective process rooted in ancestral connection and personal narrative. Drawing upon family stories and the symbolic language of chiefly adornment, he selected color palettes and geometric motifs tied to traditional regalia. Repetition became a visual strategy to express the unbroken transmission of cultural knowledge across generations. Set against the backdrop of Waikīkī, a space often defined by tourism and spectacle, Poʻo ʻOle reasserts Native presence and authority. Through this work, Clark not only commemorates Eric Keawepoʻoʻole Vannatta, but also affirms the enduring vitality of Hawaiian identity in a landscape shaped by ongoing transformation.