From phone booths to bowling alleys: This artist’s work is all about nostalgia

Honolulu-based artist Matías Solario is working to preserve Hawaii’s unique mid-century design of the past — one building (or phone booth) at a time.
Published: Jun. 3, 2023 at 2:02 PM HST

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Honolulu-based artist Matías Solario is working to preserve Hawaii’s unique mid-century design of the past — one building (or phone booth) at a time.

Solario is an artist who found a home in Hawaii during the pandemic, but his love for art and architecture, and typography in Hawaii has been blossoming for many years.

This artist wants to preserve the nostalgic mid-century aesthetic that decorates Hawaii past and present(Solario @solario.art.waikiki)

He describes his artistic style as digitally emulating woodblock style of illustration, although he hopes to begin making physical woodblock prints in the future. “So with my digital artwork, I tried to make it as close as possible to a physical woodblock print, but it’s an illustration,” Solario says.

In his illustrations, he lets the subject speak for itself by deleting the additional city noise surrounding these buildings or objects and using bright colors and a simplified color palette reminiscent of art in the era in which these buildings were built.

Solario takes inspiration for his work from vintage Hawaii pog designs, travel brochures, and matchboxes. He also works with the color palettes the buildings and objects provide.

This artist wants to preserve the nostalgic mid-century aesthetic that decorates Hawaii past and present(Solario @solario.art.waikiki)

Before becoming a full-time artist, Solario had a 15-year-long career in cocktail bartending, which allowed him to travel the world. Cocktailing brought him to South Korea, where he guest bartended and taught lectures on 1930s-style bartending to the smaller cocktail scene.

Then came the 2020 COVID pandemic, where Solario could take a moment and change career directions.

“I had done so much in the cocktail industry that I just didn’t know what to do anymore.”

He wondered how to turn his passion for art and vintage design into a career but wasn’t sure where to begin. He decided that a move to Hawaii may bring some inspiration.

“I felt like moving to Hawaii was something that would help inspire me, and it’s really hard to not be inspired by everything everywhere here, so and that’s absolutely what happened,” Solario said.

Solario began as an amateur photographer, completely enamored with the volume of mid-century architecture that was not only intact, but thriving all around Hawaii.

“I kind of was an amateur photographer taking pictures of like old buildings and neon signs around the world, and there not being too many neon signs on the island, I started taking notice of like the mid-century modern like thing about apartments and hotels and just like the really like really cool typography.”

One of his standout pieces that got attention on social media is an art print dedicated to the iconic payphone booths still sprinkled all over the island. “I was surprised that there’s they still exist! I fell in love with them.”

This artist wants to preserve the nostalgic mid-century aesthetic that decorates Hawaii past and present(Solario @solario.art.waikiki)

“Just the fact that there are so many of these really unique and beautiful phone booths here was crazy enough as it is, but the fact that a lot of them are still functioning. And that’s another thing too. And it’s like, so I was just inspired to just, I just wanted to capture them in time.”

The pandemic didn’t only inspire Solario to move to Hawaii, but after seeing many businesses and bars come and go, it made him realize how important preserving unique art and architecture of old Hawaii is.

“I think part of the reason I do what I wanted, what I do is because I, I’ve seen so many things when especially during the pandemic, just closed down and just go away forever. And it’s so heartbreaking when I see structures that have been around for 80 years and businesses, bars, restaurants, and stuff just go away,” said Solario.

Solario is particularly charmed by Hawaii’s plentiful amount of working (and some not working) phone booths because many endangered pay phone booths have gone extinct across the country.

This artist wants to preserve the nostalgic mid-century aesthetic that decorates Hawaii past and present(Solario @solario.art.waikiki)

Additionally, the Science Museum Group research shows that everyday objects may have become a little grayer and a little squarer over time. But the trend of “corporate blanding” hasn’t quite taken a hold of Hawaii in the ways it has other mainland cities.

Regardless of nostalgia, high construction costs, or an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” attitude, Hawaii’s well-preserved art and architecture continues to inspire Solario and design-enthusiasts alike.

As for his work, he was brought on to preserve the beloved Aloha Stadium before it was demolished.

This artist wants to preserve the nostalgic mid-century aesthetic that decorates Hawaii past and present(Solario @solario.art.waikiki)

He’s also developed a friendship with Old Queen Street Stadium and has worked on a series of prints reimagining parts of Hawaii’s architectural history that have gone extinct, such as the old Honolulu Stadium.

Solario has created an exclusive merch line at the Honolulu Museum of Art, and he’s begun selling his work out of the Greenroom Gallery in Yokohama, Japan.

But it’s not just Hawaii’s architecture that inspires Solario, he’s done prints dedicated to vintage Hawaii beer labels, snacks, and even the iconic anti-drinking and driving poster.

This artist wants to preserve the nostalgic mid-century aesthetic that decorates Hawaii past and present(Solario @solario.art.waikiki)

While Solario may not be from here, he’s made it his personal and artistic mission to appreciate and share the beauty of Hawaii’s architectural history with the world.

“I want to be able to put a positive footprint on the island. And so, as an artist, I think I can do that by helping showcase some of these older buildings from a time past. And a lot of them are just, you know, tucked away in neighborhoods, and not a lot of people notice them or see them.”

Check out more of his work on Instagram or his website where you can purchase prints.