Kelly Akashi

For her first exhibition with Lisson Gallery in New York, artist Kelly Akashi continues the trajectory of her powerful 2025 presentation in Los Angeles, created in the wake of the devastating fires that destroyed her home and studio. In that earlier exhibition, Akashi rebuilt from loss, integrating fire-marked bronze, borosilicate glass, stone, and heirloom lace into an ecosystem of works exploring inheritance, resilience, and transformation. This spring in New York, Akashi deepens these themes with new doily-based prints, some embossed and darkened with ash from the artist’s book collection, alongside material alchemy that have become central to her practice. Additional stone sculptures incorporating glass, bronze, and other elemental materials, as well as borosilicate, extend the dialogue between destruction and regeneration. Coinciding with Akashi’s participation in the 2026 Whitney Biennial and her commission for JFK Terminal 1, the exhibition offers an evolving meditation on cyclical change, memory, and the persistence of form.