Ryan Hawaii’s FRONTLINE

In early summer 2025, FRONTLINE, a powerful early-year retrospective by Ryan Hawaii, took over the Fusion Arts space with an explosion of colour, energy, and intention. Curated by Ruby A Duncan–second-time curator for Fusion–the exhibition moved beyond a traditional timeline. Instead of a chronological layout, Ruby grouped the works thematically, this gave fresh insight into Hawaii’s creative journey, highlighting the recurring ideas that run through his practice. Her thoughtful commentary and contextual framing brought the diverse elements of Hawaii’s work into clear conversation. As she put it,

“The focus in Hawaii’s art is not time-specific, but instead constantly transcends boundaries and trends.”

Fusion Art’s Park End space was, itself, transformed, with spatial designer Stanley Leung collaborating on layout and contributing to the exhibition with the Fishion installation — a striking eco-art intervention under the theme “recycle, redefine, deconstruct.” One standout piece, the Fishion Chair, was made entirely from fishing net found washed up on Hastings beach — a beautiful, tactile example of sustainability meeting creativity.

Most notably, of course, was Hawaii’s presence felt in every corner — his bold creative energy radiating from large-scale paintings, intimate sketchbook drawings, digital pieces, soft textile hangings and alien-like body figures. Much of the work on display tapped into personal experience and memory, which made the show both visually vibrant and emotionally layered.

Ethical fashion and upcycling are central to Hawaii’s practice, and the exhibition included a number of incredible handmade garments, some created in collaboration with fashion brands. His streetwear aesthetic is unmistakably his own — a celebration of the hand-made, featuring bold, hand-painted graphics across denim and twill, his iconic 'eye man' motif, and geometric patches cut from felt.

At the heart of the show was a cosmic workstation — complete with a sewing machine and patch display — offering a glimpse into his process. During the private view, in a beautiful moment of intergenerational creativity, Ryan’s mum could be seen doing some sewing herself.

Then on the weekend 28-29 of June Ryan Hawaii brought his interactive PATCH SERVICE© to Fusion where visitors could choose from a selection of his handmade felt patches and watch as he sewed them onto a garment of their choosing: becoming a part of the process themselves and receiving something totally unique in return. This expanded the meaning of the space, the station no longer just part of a static retrospective but also a current component of his work.

Throughout the run of the exhibition, it continued to gain new layers of complexity as members of the public engaged with Hawaii’s work, Hawaii worked on the live painting of his personal car, and the space itself became a center for community. On the 20th of June, Sounds of the FRONTLINE invited audiences to reminisce and dance as DJs took a sonic journey through the rhythms of the Caribbean and wider diaspora. This was a part of the Oxford Windrush Weekend: a series of events organised by the Oxford Windrush Group to honour the deep contributions of the Windrush Generation and the wider Black diaspora. The evening involved an introduction to the exhibition by Hawaii, Natty Mark Samuels’ live drumming, Zethu Maseko’s stunning vocals, Shumba Youth’s engaging dance, DJ Euton with his Lovers Rock, Soca + Hi-life selections, and DJ Natty playing Roots Reggae. A conglomeration of sounds rooted in resistance, joy, and cultural connection.