Whitney Biennial 2026

Kainoa Gruspe gathers materials from sites in Hawai‘i that have been shaped by extractive relationships, including US military bases, golf courses, and resorts. In his studio, he “rescues” fragments of rock, stone, and plant matter from these places and then transforms them to suggest new possibilities. By remaking these into the doorstops on view here, he metaphorically holds the door open to future actions. 

The doorstops also anchor Gruspe’s paintings. Their physical weight balances the translucent surfaces, suggesting free movement and also resistance. The materials attached to the paintings include fishing lures, which interest the artist because of their association with both deception and sustenance. Many of the commercial developments where Gruspe found these materials were fishing ponds that once fed Hawaiians and locals.