About the project

Located on the remote north shore of the Hawaiian island of Moloka’i, Kalaupapa is a government-run settlement for people with Hansen’s Disease (formerly known as leprosy). Between the years of 1866 and 1969, some 8,000 patients were forcibly confined at Kalaupapa, and about 7,000 of those people are buried there. Today, a small, aging group of patients still lives at the settlement by choice. A natural prison ringed by jungle, cliffs, and sea, it’s a site of extraordinary tragedy, resilience, and beauty.

These contemplative photographs explore the natural landscape as well as interiors of the historic structures that formed the framework of daily life in the settlement.

Exhibitions

James D. Phelan Art Award in Photography, SF Camerawork, San Francisco
Three New Photographers, Steven Wirtz Gallery, San Francisco