Join us for the latest iteration of ACTIVATIONS: After Hours at the Gallery, featuring an evening of acoustic and dance performances that come to life in and around Schaefer International Gallery.
The program is held in conjunction with the exhibition Satoru Abe: Reaching for the Sun, which showcases over seven decades of work by one of Hawaiʻi’s most prominent artists, Satoru Abe (1926-2025). This retrospective presents a selection of paintings, sculptures, and works on paper that range from the artist’s early explorations of the figure in the 1950s, through his depictions of natural forms in the second half of the 20th century, to his most recent body of abstract paintings in his closing years.
Expanding on the themes present in Satoru Abe’s artwork, the evening will feature instrumentalists, dance and projection artists, and DJ sets in dialogue with the artist’s stylized world. In the gallery, Christopher Yohmei Blasdel will perform selected works on the shakuhachi (Japanese flute). Studying under Living National Treasure Goro Yamaguchi from 1972-1999, Christopher received an MFA in ethnomusicology from Tokyo University of the Arts and was awarded shihan master ranking by Yamaguchi. In his musical activities, he balances traditional shakuhachi music, modern compositions, improvisation, and cross-genre work with musicians, dancers, poets and visual artists.
Also in the gallery, Mika Inaba will play classical compositions on the koto (Japanese zither). Born and raised in Japan, Mika began studying the Yamada-ryu school of koto music at the age of eight under the guidance of Master Tokumitsu Satoki, then later explored the Ikuta-ryu style with Master Bernice Kisako Hirai. Since moving to Maui 25 years ago, she has shared the timeless beauty of Japanese music through performance and teaching.
Brigitte (Gigi) Leilani Axelrode will perform dance compositions that explore collaborative formats—including a pairing with the shakuhachi and an activation with sibling Angelique (Ang) Kalani Axelrode, whose projection-mapped visuals will illuminate the gallery’s exterior walls. A hapa Kanaka ʻŌiwi artist, educator, and scholar, Gigi has worked professionally in Los Angeles as a concert and commercial dancer and is now based on O‘ahu, developing choreographed movements with the intention of art as liberatory storytelling with and for Pasifika peoples and beyond. Ang is a multimedia artist, filmmaker, and founder of aka productions, with a practice rooted in Kanaka ʻŌiwi and multiracial lineage that spans filmmaking, interactive performance, and new media.
In the adjacent Yokouchi Pavilion & Courtyard, DJ SKUBI will be spinning beats throughout the evening. DJ SKUBI [Gregg Kaplan] is a Hawai‘i-born visual artist and sonic selector whose sets blend ambient, dub, post-punk, jazz, and electronic music into evolving atmospheres of tone and space. Food and beverages will be available for purchase for outside dining and social mingling.
FREE Entry! All ages welcome!
Ticketed reservations required via the MACC Box Office.
Click HERE for more details on the Satoru Abe: Reaching for the Sun exhibit.
