“Already Home” by Brooke Leialoha

What does it mean to feel at home? Humans long for the feeling of comfort that home can provide, however home is a place within. It is an intangible, ever-changing state of finding balance and safety, despite external turmoil and the dangers that plague our world. It is a place where we recharge, where we reflect, and remember who we are. Many do not grow up with a sense of internal or external home, it is often a journey of initiation, exile, and many stages to find a true sense of belonging. We spend our whole lives searching for home, in people and in places, never realizing it is inside. Life’s temporary nature can completely disrupt our feelings of peace in an instant. Whether our separation from home can be circumstantial, chosen, or both, all pathways lead to the original source, the spark of your soul, your reason for being here, even when that reason for existing is difficult to see. 

Through exploring the textures of Brooke Leialoha's homeland, The Kingdom of Hawaii, in this collection you will find the steps it takes to come home. Every piece offers you a meditation, a place to explore your thoughts and feelings, a sacred space to heal. Home is our sanctuary and it travels with us wherever we go. The pieces you are most drawn to represent the stages you are at currently, and the hope is that they will offer you insight, fuel, and medicine to keep wandering in the unknown. 

As children of Mother Earth (Papa) and Father Sky (Wākea), we are extensions of our homeland. We hold the echoes of our ancestors, the land spirits, and all the elements that have nourished us and those who came before us. We are representations of love, the melding of opposites, the waves of destruction that lead to creation, and the quiet, soft wind of serenity that follows a storm. We are all connected. We are family. We are made of the same mana (influence / energy) that created this planet, and the universe itself. In these pieces of art and in the music you hear tonight, I hope you see pieces of your own story. May you remember that by simply existing, you are already home.