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Herman Pi’ikea Clark works at the intersection of design, education, and cultural practice in complex contexts. Grounded in Kanaka Maoli ways of knowing his work uses creativity and visual storytelling to support understanding, alignment, and responsible decision-making within institutions and communities.
Makawalu, 2018 This print series uses abstract, symbolic compositions to explore layered Indigenous perception, dynamic knowledge, and ancestral frameworks within contemporary Hawaiian art.
Pilina, 2018 Pilina is a visual meditation on relationality, using layered forms and rhythmic lines to express the Hawaiian values of lōkahi and aloha, affirming the interconnectedness of people, land, ocean, and spirit across generations.
Hīhīmanu Series, 2020 This series honors the hīhīmanu (manta ray) as a sacred ocean guardian in Kanaka Maoli tradition, using visual forms to evoke its graceful movement and embody themes of protection, freedom, and ancestral guidance.
No Ka’ahupahau, 2020 The Kaʻahupahau series is a collection of acrylic paintings that visually explore the symbolic, spiritual, and ecological presence of the shark goddess Kaʻahupahau in Puʻuloa, connecting moʻolelo with contemporary art and place-based architectural inquiry.
Ala Niho, 2021 Ala Niho is a series of ten monoprints mounted on birch panels that evoke the serrated patterns of traditional shark tooth weapons as visual metaphors for strength, protection, and ancestral lineage within Hawaiian knowledge systems.
Manu Ula, 2024 Manu Ula is a mixed media series that honors the noio seabird as a symbol of excellence, foresight, and ancestral navigational wisdom, using layered materials and avian forms to evoke purposeful movement across vast, uncertain spaces.
Poʻo ʻOle, 2021 For HT22, Herman Piʻikea Clark’s Poʻo ʻOle honors his grandfather by evoking the concept of “headless” as a symbol of unbroken continuity, using ancestral forms and chiefly colors to affirm Hawaiian cultural resilience in Waikīkī’s commercialized landscape.
Na ’Aumakua, 2017 Nā ʻAumākua is a visual exploration of the Kanaka Maoli belief in ʻaumākua — ancestral guardians who return to guide and protect their descendants.
Mo’ikeha 2013, mixed media on paper This work draws inspiration from the legendary Polynesian voyager Moʻikeha, whose journeys between Hawai‘i and Tahiti embody ancestral knowledge, navigational mastery, and genealogical continuity.
CONSULTING & COLLABORATIVE ENGAGEMENTS
As an extension of his broader practice, Herman Piʻikea Clark works with organisations, communities, and leadership teams through culturally grounded consulting and collaborative engagement. His work supports projects that require careful listening, cultural understanding, and the ability to navigate complex relationships across place, history, and contemporary practice.
Each engagement is shaped through dialogue and long-term thinking rather than predetermined outcomes. In some contexts, this work takes form through visual or spatial projects; in others, through advisory support, strategy development, facilitation, or cultural guidance. In all cases, Indigenous ways of seeing, storytelling, and responsibility guide the process. These projects serve as living connections between past and present — helping organisations work with greater clarity, care, and alignment to the places and communities they serve.
If you’re interested in exploring a potential collaboration, consulting engagement, or advisory relationship, please use the link below to begin a conversation.
Mauka, 2016 Mauka is a mural at Mauna Lani Resort that honors Native Hawaiian ancestral knowledge and the sacred interdependence between upland forests, watersheds, and coastal life through layered symbolism and visual storytelling.
Na Kama a Ka’ahupahau me Kuhaimoana, 1998 Nā Kama a Kaʻahupahau me Kuhaimoana is a work that draws on the moʻolelo of guardian shark deities to explore protection, kinship, and ancestral stewardship of Hawai‘i’s ocean and natural systems through symbolic layering and Indigenous storytelling.
Na Kalaikahi Kiha, 2006-8 The custom steel grillworks at Ko ‘Olina Club Resort transform functional architecture into symbolic thresholds, weaving ancestral moʻolelo and cultural memory into contemporary space through patterns and designs that honor Oʻahu’s land, sea, and storied past.
Makawalu I, 2024 Makawalu I is a layered visual meditation on the Hawaiian concept of seeing from multiple perspectives, using rhythmic, symbolic forms and hand-press techniques to evoke ancestral presence, memory, and unfolding wisdom within a dynamic grid structure.
Imua One, 2023 In 2023, Herman Pi‘ikea Clark collaborated with Osaki Creative Group on Imua One, a Southwest Airlines aircraft livery project honoring Hawai‘i’s people and culture, helping ensure the design embodied the spirit of imua with cultural integrity, symbolism, and Native Hawaiian values.
Ka ho’i ana o Maui i ka mokupuni o na Kupuna Paiwan / the return of Maui to the island of his Paiwan ancestors Color pencil/Ink Pen Draft drawing
OWN A PIECE OR COMMISSION NEW WORK
Interested in engaging with contemporary work grounded in Indigenous knowledge and expressed through thoughtful design?
Herman Pi’ikea Clark welcomes inquiries from public institutions, organisations, and individuals interested in culturally grounded consulting, advisory work, and collaborative projects. His practice supports initiatives that seek deeper alignment with place, story, and responsibility.
Depending on context, this work may take shape through visual artworks, spatial interventions, or advisory and facilitation roles. Each engagement is informed by careful research, moʻolelo, and site-specific narratives, offering approaches that bridge ancestral knowledge with contemporary practice.
You are welcome to explore available works or to reach out to begin a conversation about a potential collaboration or engagement.