Photographer Arifin Graham to showcase Lahaina portraits at Akakū Upstairs Thursday

Akakū Upstairs will bring in photographer Arifin Graham to share his black & white portraiture from his book “The Last Resort: Portraits from Lahaina & Maui” on Thursday, Nov. 21. Most of the book’s photographs were shot in 2022, a year before fires burned down Lahaina.

Graham knew the destruction gave his photographs a new historical context. He says they are a glimpse into places and faces of once thriving businesses, neighbors and homes where countless generations had grown up and raised families. His portfolio is a reflection on what is at risk in a changing world, the images are a tribute and testament to a particular place and vision of paradise which is, for now, lost.

Graham was born in England, and grew up on a ranch in Alberta, Canada. He attended the San Francisco Art Institute in the 1970s, studying photography under Pirkle Jones and Jerry Burchard. Graham has worked as a graphic and book designer for many years, first in London, England and now in Victoria, British Columbia. He and his wife, Wiluya, have been visiting Maui for over 30 years.

Graham will present and discuss the images and his relationship to each. He will be joined by some of the subjects depicted to converse on their memories and whatʻs next.

Register at www.akaku.org/salons for free to secure a spot. Seating is limited. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the salon starts promptly at 6 p.m., running until 7:30 p.m.