In ‘Kani Le’a’ (a distinct sound) spectrograms map the unique calls of each of the remaining endangered and extant Hawaiian forest birds. The subtle gradation from light to dark tracks the loss of birds, offering hope and memory. PHOTO BY JOSE MORALES
Printmaker Abigail Romanchak (abigailromanchak.com) believes that native cultures are in danger of disappearing if they don’t speak to people in the present. “I am interested in how the rich, layered mark-making of my chosen medium—printmaking—alludes to the presence of kaona, the hidden wisdom that often resides in the depths below a seemingly intelligible surface,” says the Mauiborn artist who has made it her mission to turn intangible elements of Hawai‘i’s natural world and history into something tangible in large-scale collagraph prints. For example, in Kāhea (a call), she used spectrograms of the birdsong of ‘Akohekohe and Kiwikiu, two of Maui’s most endangered bird species, to create a print to honor the 72% of native Hawaiian birds that have gone extinct. The Smithsonian American Art Museum recently acquired Romanchak’s work for their permanent collection, and she was selected to create art for this year’s G20 summit.
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