06/19/2026
Kim Taylor Reece reflects on the moments when his work helped open new eyes to Hula Kāhiko, from Pacific Island festivals in California to a record-breaking exhibition in Tokyo.
His photography has always been more than an image. It is a bridge to deeper understanding, cultural reverence, and the enduring power of hula.There have been many times when I felt my work has helped shape how the Hula is seen by the world. Most often when I have been doing exhibits or shows and places like San Diego or San Francisco would sponsor a Pacific Island festival and there will be 15,000 people there. I did an art show in Tokyo one time at a very prestigious art gallery and they told me that 10,000 people a day showed up, and I had broken all their attendance records. I know times like that changed a lot of people‘s perspective and gave them a new and different way to understand the Hula and how it had been suppressed and changed for so many years.