Indigenous artist Ciwas Tahos is featured at Hawaii’s top art exhibition, the Hawai’i Triennial 2025 (HT25), which opened over the weekend, becoming the first Taiwanese person to have her work displayed at the event, the Ministry of Culture (MOC) said.
“Ciwas’ work is an exploration of cultural and gender identity, using her body as a medium to trace linguistic and cultural experiences of displacement to seek out new queer forms of understanding,” according to the page about Ciwas on the HT25 Web site.
Ciwas is a Taiwan-born and based artist, and a member of the Atayal community.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles
Her works are characterized by a “body-centered” approach, according to her Web site.
She is known for her research exploring a legendary place called Temahohoi, where queer, gender non-conforming indigenous people lived and communicated with bees, which protected them from intruders.
Combining new technology, handmade ceramics and traditional bee-chasing skills, Ciwas celebrates her indigenous culture and identity in her work.
In a recent press release, the MOC describes Ciwas’ work as a reflection on gender and ecological issues that “affirms one’s sensibilities” as a member of gender minorities in the quest for a sense of belonging.
Her work, called Pswagi Temahahoi, translates to finding the way to Temahohoi — a women’s village in Atayal legends, according to the MOC, which assisted the Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles in arranging Ciwas’ participation in the exhibition.
Jerry Chang (張詩瑞), director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Honolulu, said at the event’s opening that he hoped the participation of Taiwanese artists would foster deeper cultural exchange between Taiwan, Hawaii and the Pacific.
At the event, Ciwas led the opening performance, which featured Paiwan artist Sauljaljuy, Puyuma artist Sinkuy Katadrepan and Hawaii-based artists.
In his remarks at the opening ceremony, Chien Te-yuan (簡德源), director of the Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles, highlighted the shared origins and migration history between the people of Taiwan and Hawaii.
By exploring this period of history through contemporary art, a closer cultural and societal connection could be established between both sides, he added.
The triennial, Hawaii’s largest, thematic exhibition of local and Pacific contemporary art, runs until May 4.
For more information, visit the Hawaii Triennial Web site at https://hawaiicontemporary.org/ht25.
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