Collection: Kalani Largusa

Kalani Largusa is a local Hawaii artist raised in Kapahi, Kaua’i. He divides his time between painting on his home island and working out of his studio on O’ahu. He received his Master of Fine Arts degree from University of Hawaii in the spring of 2016. Kalani previously studied drawing and illustration at the California College of Arts [CCA] and received his Bachelor of Fine Art in painting studio practice from the School of Art Institute of Chicago [SAIC] in 2013.

Kalani Largusa approaches painting as an ongoing investigation into current day mark-making, time, and the dynamic, interconnected occurrences of himself, ourselves and our broader world. For viewers of this work, looks from afar may evoke the play of composition, scale, and color. Closer observations may bring to mind questions about texture and layering as well as apparent rhythms and disrupted patterns. In a number of pieces, Largusa employs what he calls “cold moves.” Potentially deceiving at first, these gestures challenge frequently held assumptions regarding abstract painting. They are also key ways by which Largusa often activates dynamic tensions within his pieces by obfuscating the perceived order of layers. Throughout his process, experimentation and questioning are central. Underneath even the most apparently simple, repetitive compositions, perhaps especially with these, lie inquiries into mass, space, and tone. Often, tidbits noted when doing one piece lay the groundwork for more involved engagements in the next.