Verna Apio-Takashima traces her family’s connection to kapa-making (barkcloth) across five generations. She first started creating kapa at the age of 58 – motivated by a responsibility to honour her ancestors and to uphold the role that kapa plays in nurturing the vitality of Hawaiian communities and culture. Apio-Takashima has one of the most extensive collections of carved tools – and, therefore, repertoire of signature patterns – in Hawai‘i, and is recognised as a foremost kumu (practitioner and teacher) of kapa-making across the archipelago. The artist’s brother, Solomon Ku‘ulei Apio, creates the i‘e (wooden beaters), ‘ohe kāpala (bamboo stamps) and kua kuku (anvil) that she uses in her practice.

For each work, Apio-Takashima dedicates hundreds of hours to preparing the natural pigments and beating the wauke (paper mulberry) bark, sometimes up to five layers thick, to produce soft kapa cloth. Her distinctive approach to texture, colour and design explores the potency of pattern to communicate personal stories and celebrate the land and culture of Hawai‘i. In Mahina Poepoe, each unpainted circle reveals a distinct ‘ohe kāpala print and arrangement that honours the Hawaiian knowledge system of the phases of the moon. Huina’kolu’like and an untitled work explore pattern and geometry to highlight significant memories in the artist’s relationship with her grandmother.