Uprooted and inverted, this weed-like mallow plant at the entrance to Lisson Gallery at first feels like an underwhelming introduction to Kelly Akashi’s latest New York solo show. The impact shifts dramatically when visitors recognize that its incredibly slender forms have been crafted in glass and replicate the plants growing on soil where Akashi’s home and studio were before being destroyed by the Jan 2025 wildfire in Altadena, California. A solitary splash of color in an otherwise monochromatic show, the sculpture recreates a plant that can be found in disturbed soil. In other works, Akashi gathered ash from her former library to create doily patterns and crafted a fragment of her grandmother’s lace tablecloth from steel. With admirable resilience, Akashi employs memories and fragments of what she lost to create new objects with new futures. (On view in Chelsea through July 24th).
