The creative team behind award-winning films Kumu Hina and Leitis in Waiting is partnering with the Berniece Pau’ahi Bishop Museum in Honolulu to curate an exhibition featuring a collection of portraits of gender diverse Pacific Islanders whose identity and expression are rooted in their cultural backgrounds. The concept stems from the fervent belief that visibility and representation play a powerful role in the struggle for acceptance and respect for gender and sexual minorities everywhere.

To reflect contemporary understandings and realities, and illuminate new possibilities, Pacific Islanders across the gender spectrum are invited to participate.

The exhibition is based on Kapaemahu, the team’s animated short about a monument on Waikiki Beach that honors the skills and contributions of four mahu – individuals of dual male and female spirit – who brought the healing arts from Tahiti to Hawaii. It will explore Oceania’s long history of gender diversity and inclusion, as well as foreign influences that sought to change it.

For more information, click here.