Tommy Hite is a contemporary artist, based, born and raised in Honolulu Hawai'i. His work centralizes around the concept of contrast. Inspired by various attributes of his life, such as being raised in an urban environment on a tropical island. Hite’s work is also heavily influenced by hip hop, having been born in the mid 1990’s and growing up with its ever present influence throughout culture. Being half Caucasian and half Filipino, Hite inherits the concept of “contrast” by nature, commonly called “Hapa” in Hawai’i (mixed ethnicity) his work becomes a symbol of his own cultural identity. Tommy emulates objects and vistas that resemble his surroundings. He employs the tradition and prestige of fine and classical art with recycled imagery, material relics, or found objects to construct expressions and statements of culture. Often open ended, his work invites the audience to both see what is visually represented as well as explore the unbound. Tommy Hite received his BFA in the area of painting from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa in 2017 and has since continued his professional career as a contemporary artist, participating in various group shows in addition to producing multiple solo exhibitions.