The STATE of ALOHA takes a critical look at tourism culture in the self-proclaimed Aloha State from the perspective of a long-time resident. I straddle the line between insider and outsider to focus on the stereotypes and visual tropes that have been embedded into the pop culture image of Hawaiʻi since the Kingdom was violently overthrown and annexed to the United States in 1893.
Ironically, photography was used to appropriate unique aspects of the culture and was instrumental in the promotion of Hawaiʻi as an exotic travel destination. In the ensuing century little has changed—a nuanced ancient culture, the place, and its people, are often commodified and reduced to caricatures.
While The STATE of ALOHA is specific to Hawaiʻi similar issues prevail in many communities around the world. It is my hope that this work compels viewers to question the authenticity of the advertised version of a place and the disproportional social and economic impacts of tourism, whether in Hawai’i or elsewhere.
