THE STUDY

ENTRECHAT

For The Modern Hotel in The Study

2017

Honolulu, Hawaii

Model: Maya Doherty

“The composition of the body is inspired by ballet as you can see in her crossed pointed feet. “Entrechat” where the dancer crosses their legs, then jumps and switches the way they are crossed. I like the idea of the painting being a snapshot in the middle of a movement. We are in the process of a movement.
I thought it would be cheeky to have her making a ‘shhh’ motion with her hand as its The Study and its like getting shushed in the library by the librarian. It also hints at meanings of hidden knowledge and ancient secrets that we may or may not have unlocked from the past, and also the idea of being quiet and listening, shutting off your phone, stop talking and listen to the world around you, to the people around you.
It speaks on hybrids of culture and the continuation of the Hawaiian Renaissance. My theory is that the Hawaiian Renaissance from the 70’s and 80’s was a strong push by the people of my parent’s generation to revive ancient culture in Hawaii, and our generation is taking that and combining it with more modern-day influences, Western influences, technology and making it a hybrid of modern-day Hawaiian culture.”