With genre-bending bodies of work that span a range of mediums and materials, these are the names to know in today’s evolving scene. First up is sculptor Kelly Akashi (BFA Fine Arts '06).
As she leads me around her Inglewood, California studio, sculptor Kelly Akashi runs her finger along a blown-glass work. “I touch everything,” she says with a laugh. One can understand why: Glancing around, there are experiments like an oyster shell filled with glass; tin-foil trays of gem-colored wax; or a life-size, speckled glass apple. Akashi’s sculptures use materials and textures such as bronze, wax, and glass to create self-contained—and incredibly tactile—microcosms.
On the day we meet, Akashi is preparing a solo booth at Art Basel Miami Beach with her L.A. gallery, Ghebaly, and has just wrapped up her first major museum solo show—at SculptureCenter in New York City—titled “Long Exposure,” which examined themes related to the body and temporality.
You can also catch Akashi's work at ALL HANDS ON DECK, the new exhibition at the Ben Maltz Gallery.
Image: Kelly Akashi, Two Sides of One Story, 2017, bronze and glass. Courtesy the artist and Ghebaly Gallery. Photography Kelly Akashi.