Kelly Akashi

Vitality

Great Jones Alley

Kelly Akashi was born in 1983 in Los Angeles.  Originally trained in analog photography, Akashi is drawn to materials like glass, wax, and bronze for their alchemical potential to change states. The artist blows and sculpts these fluid materials into forms bearing the literal imprint of her body’s breath and touch. She regularly makes unique life casts of her hands, subtly marking time as fingernails grow and lifelines deepen. She emphasizes the impermanence of the natural world, recording and indexing fragmented moments in time.

The repeated use of the hand as motif serves as a symbol for Akashi’s ongoing investigation into the temporality of the human experience. Often cast in bronze or crystal, her hands bear the mark of time on her body, her growing fingernails, and aging flesh. However, her outlook is one of “a wistful awareness of impermanence—the 'pathos of things.' It’s central to hanami, the Japanese custom of venturing out to enjoy the brief season of cherry blossoms.”

Articles:

Sculptor Kelly Akashi Joins Lisson, Departing Her Longtime LA Gallery