Join Docomomo US Hawaii for our next Talk Story session which will examine issues of cultural appropriation as they relate to the rise of tiki bars in the midcentury and their recent resurgence.

Tiki bars were invented in the early 1930s in response to the Great Depression, but their popularity took off after World War II. Establishments used religious figures, symbols and motifs of Pasifika cultures in décor, drink names and vessels. The tiki aesthetic was also expressed in architecture that was a mash-up of indigenous vernacular styles. Perhaps one of the most troubling trends of the tiki genre was the over-sexualization of native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women.

This Talk Story event will explore how to address this problematic aspect of mid century culture that has carried through to the present day.

Kauahi Ching, architectural designer at Hawaii-based firm G70, will discuss case studies and how she has addressed these issues in her own work

‍