Hoʻākea Source 2026 Grant Awardees

Alu Ka Pule

Angelique (Ang) Kalani Axelrode
2026 Visual Art Grant Recipient



Alu Ka Pule is a feature-length-embodied documentary centering six Kānaka Maoli survivors / activists / families impacted by gender based and sexual violence. In an embodied documentary, participants are physically present as themselves, not reduced to narrative subjects. This proposal focuses on a specific component of the documentary: the creation of collaboratively designed tableaux, or staged scenes with each participant, that also function as a standalone physical installation.

These tableaux, alongside select interview material, will be presented as a nonlinear installation using human scale screens and physical set elements, inviting audiences into an intimate encounter rather than a traditional documentary viewing.

The project is a collaboration between aka productions and Kamāwaelualani. In parallel, the team is developing a research-based data initiative: creating a data scraping tool that addresses gaps in public reporting and state documentation for missing and murdered cases in Hawaiʻi.

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Angelique (Ang) Kalani Axelrode is a Honolulu based, multimedia artist, filmmaker, and founder of aka productions (pronounced aw-kah), a BIPOC and Gen Z–centered production company committed to relational, process-based approaches to media-making. Their practice resists categorization, spanning Super 8mm & 16mm film, narrative cinema, documentary, biomaterial sculptures, and participatory performances shaped through interactive software.

They have presented work at over 50 international venues and hold an M.A. from NYU Tisch's Interactive Media Arts program, where they are now a 2025–26 Postdoctoral Research Fellow. Axelrode views media creation as more than just storytelling, but as a space for practicing aloha, careful attention, and healthy communication along the way.