Ka’iulani
Princess Ka’iulani
Queen Liliuokalani
Āinahau, Ka’iulani’s residence in Hawaii
Following this event, due to the unstable situation at home, Ka’iulani remained in Hove for several years, during which time she made a trip to the USA to speak on behalf of her people, meet with President Cleveland, and denounce the illegal coup. She returned to Hawaii but died within two years, at the age of twenty-three.
Hawaii was annexed by the USA in 1898, became a territory in 1946, and the 50th state in 1959. The historical context surrounding Ka’iulani’s life ultimately links her public role to the history of the United States and the wider world in the 20th century. Pearl Harbor, near Honolulu, became a strategic naval base for the USA and the target of the Japanese attack in 1941, which was a defining event of World War II, marking the entry of the US into the conflict. (See ‘Crystal City’).
Ka’iulani, through her image and the tragic story associated with her short life, lives on as an iconic presence within the collective memory of Hawaii. In photographs and popular imagination, her image evokes a fairy tale princess, or tragic heroine who moved between two different cultures and identities. In the context of history, she was a compelling and charismatic figure whose life story became entangled with a wider political drama, and around whom, in retrospect, a significant chapter of world history seemed to pivot.
‘A Princess in Hove’ a blog about Jane Couldrey’s film.
About the imagery in ‘Ilima Pikake’
The imagery alludes to some of the aspects of Ka’iulani’s life in Hawaii and the United Kingdom. The two figures could be seen as two aspects of the same person. The one on the left is wearing an ilima lei, which is made up of thousands of paper thin, bright orange flowers. On the right side, she is wearing a white pikake lei, made from heavenly fragrant jasmine blossoms. The word pikake is derived from ‘peacock’, and these birds were resident at her home, ‘Ainahau, located in the midst of what is now Waikiki, a major tourist area.
The abstracted architectural forms, rotated and floating on the upper left side of the painting are derived from photos of ‘Ainahau. The dark, vertical forms bordering the figure on the right side are based on the terraced house where she lived in Hove, England (which still stands). The yellow and pinkish structure on the upper right side of the image is based on the architecture of Iolani Palace, in Honolulu, which in the painting has been turned upside down.
Gallery
