Well-known Big Island artist Henry Bianchini has donated a sculpture entitled "Involuntary Journey" to the Hilo Public Library. The aluminum and stainless sculpture, rising 85" high and 74" wide, was featured in Bianchini's 40-year retrospective at the East Hawaii Culture Center in 2010.
The sculpture was installed free-of-charge by the artist in the Library's atrium July 5. The Friends of the Hilo Public Library provided funding for the bronze plaque which is located next to the lanai on a stand near the Young Adult Section.
"The name of the piece means life is not controllable, rather it is a process," said Bianchini. "Our dreams and our decisions have a life of their own. Art and the creative process are like that."
"For many years, I had dreamed of how I could show my gratitude for this nurturing sanctuary, the Hilo Public Library," Bianchini said. "I am honored to be able to donate this sculpture to Hilo through this library."
Bianchini's connection to the Library began in 1974
when he presented his first "one-man show" in the Main Lobby displaying 10 of his early paintings. He studied art from the Library's collection, searching for a way to find a modern equivalent to ancient Hawaiian sculpture. "I found that much of the Hawaiian sculpture had been destroyed in the early takeover of the monarchy but what was left did give me insight into how advanced the Hawaiians were culturally," Bianchini said.
Bianchini was impressed with the richness of the Library's collection in both Western modernism and Eastern art. "This was a very big discovery for me" he said, "to find how strong the Eastern culture is here in Hawaii and how much it has affected how I see the world through my art."
Bianchini arrived in Hilo in August 1969 with his wife Dianne and son Theo on "Island Dancer," a self-built 30-foot trimaran. He leased a small parcel of land in Opihikou, Puna where his children – Frank and Allegra – were born and where he built his first art studio and began painting and carving Hawaiian woods in 1972. Visit Bianchini's website at www.henrybianchiniart.com to see more of the artist's work.
Hilo Public Library is located at 300 Waianuenue Avenue. Visit the Friends of the Hilo Public Library's website at www.hilopubliclibrary.org to view a map of the Library's location. For more information, please call the Library at (808) 933-8888.