This is Not Your Paradise (The Ways of Seeing)  is an installation that consists of 35mm color photographs printed on chiffon fabric and was photographed in areas of Kaua’i with heavy foot traffic occupied by tourists. The imagery and installation parts point to how tourists perceive Hawai’i versus how I see Hawai’i. Through my camera lens, I highlight the ongoing effects of over-tourism and its avaricious aftermath. 

While creating this work I wanted to bring awareness to the effects of rampant over-tourism in Hawai’i today. Between September 2019 and September 2022, Hawai’i’s tourism spending rates rose by 18.5%, and visitors from the U.S. spiked up 29%. With the increase in demand, so does the supply. As more tourists come to my homeland, it is harder for Kanaka Maoli and its residents to stay on the island. My people are homeless and can’t  afford to live in a house, while haoles are on the beach in their vacation rentals. There are chemicals being dumped into the water that my people live off of, while we are being told to use less water in order to accommodate tourist resorts. Outsiders are redefining Hawaiian cultural practices and coming to Hawai’i in order to fix their mental health, while Hawai’i’s mental health system is ranked lowest amongst other states in America. 

I’m making this work because I want you to see what I see.  I want you to see how your dream trip to Hawai’i actually affects its people, land, culture, and well-being because my homeland should not be treated like a playground because this isn’t your paradise, it’s my home.