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Next Talks & More | Artist Talks
Free for all audiences with ticket
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Join visual artist Kelly Akashi for a discussion about her practice in glass, bronze, crystal, stone, and ash.
Kelly Akashi uses material transformation to give physical form to memory, inheritance, and loss, translating intimate objects into multimedia sculptures that register time and change. She renders things that are fragile or impermanent into enduring forms—hands that suggest aging and growth, weeds made monumental, extinct shells enlarged beyond nature, and inherited lace recast in weathering steel. These works hold traces of touch and labor. Akashi’s practice is grounded in deep material engagement, where learning processes such as glassblowing, stone carving, mold making and casting, and candle making becomes integral to her conceptual approach. Skill is not separate from meaning but a way of yielding to time, discipline, and transformation. Through this, she reflects on mortality and the quiet dignity of transience. A Q&A follows the talk.
IMAGE CAPTIONFrom left to right: Kelly Akashi, courtesy of the artist, photo: Tiffany Hearsey. Exhibition view of Kelly Akashi at Lisson Gallery Los Angeles, February 20–March 29, 2025. © Kelly Akashi; courtesy of Lisson.
Born in Los Angeles in 1983, Kelly Akashi holds a BFA from Otis College of Art & Design, an MFA from University of Southern California, and studied at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste–Städelschule in Frankfurt. She is core faculty in graduate art at ArtCenter College of Design. Solo exhibitions include the San José Museum of Art, Frye Art Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, Henry Art Gallery, SculptureCenter, and Gallery of Modern Art in Milan. Group shows include the Brooklyn Museum, Hammer Museum, Mori Art Museum, and Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. Public commissions include JFK Airport’s New Terminal One and projects with the Aspen Art Museum, Clark Art Institute, and the 2026 Whitney Biennial. She lives and works in Los Angeles.
This event is copresented by Ohio State’s Department of Art Visiting Artist Program.
Greater Columbus Arts CouncilOhio Arts Council, with support from the National Endowment for the ArtsCampusParcThe Columbus FoundationThe Ohio State UniversityWexner Center Foundation BoardWith special thanks to our members
Next Talks & More
Kelly Akashi
