Kelly Akashi

Kelly Akashi, Wedged Life Forms, 2021. Travertine, cast lead crystal. Courtesy of the artist; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York; and François Ghebaly Gallery, Los Angeles.

Lower Level Galleries
September 30, 2023 — February 24, 2024
Known for sculptures and installations that emphasize the reciprocity of touch, Kelly Akashi’s (b. 1983, Los Angeles) practice centers on the tactile properties of physical materials. At the Henry, the artist will present a new body of work that continues her interest in transforming the ways in which materials are used and perceived.
Originally trained in photography, Akashi brings that medium’s concern with questions of time and truth to her sculptural work across a diverse array of media, including wax, bronze, fire, glass, silicone, and rope. Often pairing delicate hand-blown glass or hand-made wax candles with bronze casts of her own hands, the artist captures momentary gestures, casting them into perpetual existence. Akashi’s explorations in the mapping of time have led her to study fossils from extinct species in order to locate humankind amongst other consciousness that have thrived along the earth’s geological timeline. Drawing attention to the fluidity and interconnectedness of her chosen media, Akashi aims to capture the tension created by using materials in ways that work against their typical definitions—glass that reacts like a soft pillow, dirt that functions like stone, wax that substitutes for permanence.
The Henry is proud to partner in this multi-site exploration of Akashi’s work with the Frye Art Museum, where the artist’s first survey, Formations, will be on view preceding this commissioned project.

Artist Bio

Born in 1983 in Los Angeles, CA, lives and works in Los Angeles, CA

Kelly Akashi completed her education at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles; Städelschule, Hochschule für Bildende Künste, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; and Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles. Akashi has exhibited widely in North America and internationally. She has presented solo exhibitions at the San Jose Museum of Art, California; Aspen Art Museum, Colorado; and SculptureCenter, New York, among others. Additionally, she has participated in group exhibitions at Clark Art Institute, Williamstown; Musee Angers, France; Brooklyn Museum, New York; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Musée d’Art Contemporain de Lyon, France; Museum of Contemporary Art, Detroit; and Jewish Museum, New York, among other institutions. She is a recent recipient of the LACMA Art + Technology Grant, and the Carolyn Glasoe Bailey Foundation Art Prize and Residency. She has been an artist in residence at Headlands Center for the Arts, Marin Headlands, California, and ARCH Athens, Greece. Her work is held in the permanent collections of the Frye Art Museum, Seattle; Walker Art Center, Minneaoplis; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Brooklyn Museum, New York, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles; X Museum, Beijing; and Sifang Museum, Nanjing, among others.
CREDITS

Kelly Akashi is organized by Shamim M. Momin, Director of Curatorial Affairs.