Title: ‘Hihimanu’

Series/Location: Kauai, I Love You, Kauai, Hawai’i

Size: 22×55 in (55.8×139.7cm)

Date Created: June 6th, 2019

Medium: Pigment on Museum Archival Parchment

Editions: Signed 1 of 7 Editions Unframed

Description: Framed by the limbs of an ʻōhiʻa tree and filtered through soft foreground blur, Hihimanu reveals the jagged peak of Namolokama Mountain on Kaua‘i’s North Shore. Named after the majestic spotted eagle ray, Hihimanu (“magnificent or elegant bird”) refers to both the mountain’s distinctive twin-humped form and the spirit it carries in Hawaiian culture—one of grace, guidance, and ancestral presence.

Mist hangs over the forested ridges like a veil, echoing the Hawaiian belief that the mountains are living beings—sacred embodiments of mana. Gillilan captures the interplay between presence and concealment, place and perception. The careful framing invites viewers to witness, not possess, the landscape—offering a reverent moment of stillness within the lush dynamism of Kaua‘i.

Through its cinematic tonality and quiet composition, Hihimanu speaks to Gillilan’s broader project: a love letter to the island that has shaped his vision, rhythm, and reverence for the land.