Ogden, UT (February 20, 2026) — Ogden Contemporary Arts is pleased to present Duty-Free Paradise, a live performance by Boston-based artist, Lani Asunción. The performance is free and open to the public and will take place at Ogden Contemporary Arts on Friday, March 6th at 6:00 PM.

Duty-Free Paradise uses various media to examine eco-tourism in Hawai’i. Rooted in personal history—including Asunción’s grandparents’ immigration to Oʻahu in the 1920s to work on sugarcane plantations—the performance traces the connections between tourism, militarism, and the politics of land throughout American history. Asunción’s performance confronts the contradictions between Hawai’i’s image as a paradise, shaped by American pop culture, and the lived realities that image has always concealed.

The performance specifically reflects on writings by the last monarch of Hawai‘i, Queen Liliʻuokalani, written while she was imprisoned at ʻIolani Palace following the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy by a Euro-American oligarchy, missionary leaders, and the U.S. military. In 1898, the United States illegally annexed the once-sovereign Hawai‘i, despite Queen Liliʻuokalani’s letters and the signatures of over 21,000 Native Hawaiians who petitioned to protest the annexation, which occurred without due process or just compensation.

As a Filipinx-American who grew up in Hawaiʻi and now lives in Boston, Asunción offers an exposition of America’s complicated history with Hawaiʻi. Through honoring Kānaka Maoli culture and the Filipinx diaspora, Asunción embodies characters that critique colonialism and imperialism with a compelling sense of ritualistic care.

This Duty-Free Paradise performance is part of OCA’s current exhibit, RECLAMATION, curated by Kasey Lou Lindley. The exhibit and performance aim to engage the public through thought-provoking art that creates a socially conscious space to reflect on U.S. imperial history while offering counter-narratives that center marginalized people and stories. The exhibiting artists work to reclaim identity—through memory, personal history, and community activism—and to align contemporary diasporic experience with pressing socio-cultural issues.

RECLAMATION is made possible by Weber County R.A.M.P., George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Utah Arts & Museums, Ogden City Arts, Utah Office of Tourism, and Rocky Mountain Power Foundation. Special thank you to the Utah Museum of Fine Arts for lending artworks from their permanent collection.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Lani Asunción explores the intricacies of identity and belonging with ritualized performance and public art that serve as acts of reclamation. In their work they seek to create public spaces where alternative ethics of care, community healing, and social solidarity can thrive. Asunción has had solo exhibitions at the Mills Gallery at Boston Center for the Arts (2024), Real Art Ways (2022), Radial Gallery (2021), Brookline Arts Center (2020), and New Bedford Art Museum (2016). They are a recipient of the MAP Fund Grant (2024), Kala Fellowship Award (2023), Future Frequencies Fellowship from the Mass MoCA Studios (2022), and was awarded the 2021 Public Art for Spatial Justice Grant from New England Foundation for the Arts. Asunción received their MFA from the School of Fine Arts at the University of Connecticut. They teach as visiting lecturer at Massachusetts College of Art & Design in the Fine Arts 3D, Sculpture Department teaching public art and performance. Asunción was the Curator & Public Art Manager of the 2024-2025 Un-monument initiative projects at Pao Arts Center (BCNC) in partnership with the City of Boston Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture supported by the Mellon Foundation.

ABOUT OGDEN CONTEMPORARY ARTS AND OCA CENTER

Ogden Contemporary Arts is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that exhibits contemporary art, supports artists, and provides inclusive educational experiences to foster understanding, creativity, and community. OCA envisions a creative community where contemporary art is accessible, inspiring, and connected to local and global conversations. We support artists at every stage of their careers and offer inclusive arts experiences that spark understanding, creativity, and meaningful connections to the community.

CONTACTS

Kasey Lindley

Program & Communications Manager, Ogden Contemporary Arts

kasey@ogdencontemporaryarts.org

Venessa Castagnoli

Executive Director, Ogden Contemporary Arts

venessa@ogdencontemporaryarts.org