Hawai'i: a kingdom crossing oceans

We're delighted to welcome lead curator Alice Christophe to the bookshop to discuss the companion book for the current British Museum exhibition: Hawaiʻi: a kingdom crossing oceans. A dazzling celebration of the artistry of Hawaiian makers, this book tells a compelling story of movement, allyship and cultural exchange.

This important new publication shines light on the extraordinary collection of Hawaiian works at the British Museum, which are featured alongside key works from national and international collections, centring narratives developed with Hawaiian knowledge-bearers.

At its core is the story of the continued relationship between Hawaiʻi and Great Britain: it marks over 200 years since the ill-fated visit of King Liholiho and Queen Kamāmalu and their delegation to London to seek protection and alliance from the British Crown and subsequent events. The book showcases dazzling artistry of Hawaiian makers and artists, revealed through co-curated stories and a range of ancestral and contemporary works.

It also features the first comprehensive inventory of over 900 Hawaiian works in the British Museum collection – one of the largest in the world outside of Hawaiʻi – and brings together rich contributions by 27 authors based in Hawaiʻi, London and beyond. Building on years of collaboration with Hawaiian artists, practitioners and scholars, this new publication centres on Indigenous knowledge, shining new light on exceptional objects and extraordinary stories.

Alice Christophe is Lead Curator of the exhibition Hawaiʻi: a kingdom crossing oceans, and Curator and Interim Head of Oceania at the British Museum.