Journal of Transnational American Studies

In this essay I examine three artworks featured in this issue: Chris Charteris’s Te ma; Maile Andrade’s Hana ka Lima; and Ibrahim Miranda’s Isla laboratorio o 7 maravillas or Island Laboratory of 7 Wonders. Following descriptions of the artworks and their materials, I assert that each piece emphasizes what I refer to as “island-human relationality,” which recognizes human interconnections and kinship with the island. Such kinship, I argue, entails the human adoption of an ethic of island sustainability, of humans receiving what the island provides, while also ensuring the island is not exploited or abused for its resources.