Installation view of Kelly Akashi’s “Monument (Altadena),” part of the 2026 Whitney Biennial, on view March 8–August 23, 2026. (Photo: Timothy Schenck © Kelly Akashi)
Early last year, wildfires tore through Los Angeles, burning 57,000 acres of land and destroying more than 16,000 structures. Among them was Kelly Akashi’s home. On the evening of January 7, 2025, the artist evacuated the Spanish colonial bungalow that doubled as her studio, taking her cat and a few keepsakes with her. But by the time she returned to her lot in Altadena, only a brick chimney remained. This devastating loss serves as the basis of Akashi’s latest project, now on view as part of the 2026 Whitney Biennial.
Nestled on the Whitney’s Hyundai Terrace, Monument (Altadena) takes the form of a 13-foot chimney and an accompanying walkway. The installation is the product of a close collaboration with Christian Inga, a mason whose team helped Akashi meticulously reconstruct what little survived of her home. Though certainly similar, this reimagined chimney and pathway diverge from their original counterparts in a key way: they are composed of clear glass bricks. The effect is haunting, as if conjuring a hazy outline rather than a complete presence.
For Akashi, these luminous bricks contain memories not just of wreckage, but of hope. The act of rebuilding required enormous patience, especially considering how challenging it is to craft glass bricks. That persistence, however, seems to mirror that of Los Angeles as a whole. It also proves that memory isn’t a passive or static entity, but instead something that involves active labor, engagement, and, more often than not, community.
“In laying each brick, my sculpture mirrors the gestures of memory itself, emphasizing that remembrance is not given, it is constructed through care and persistence,” Akashi remarked in a statement. “Each brick carries the record of labor and material transformation; together, they compose a new body that holds the traces of its past.”
Aside from Monument, Akashi also presents Inheritance (Distressed), inspired by one of her grandmother’s doilies that she ultimately lost in the Eaton wildfires. The piece reinterprets the doily through Cor-Ten steel, juxtaposing the delicacy of fiber art with the severity of minimalist art. Taken together, the works interrogate the art historical relationship between femininity and masculinity, and how contemporary artists must still contend with these legacies.
These projects, alongside Akashi’s works on paper and an outdoor-screen animation, stand as compelling contributions to this year’s Whitney Biennial. Gathering together 56 artists, duos, and collectives, the exhibition operates without a comprehensive theme, unlike previous editions. That said, the show does revolve around theoretical frameworks of relationality, transition, geopolitical entanglements, and more.
Monument (Altadena) is on view throughout the duration of the Whitney Biennial 2026, which runs from March 8 to August 23, 2026.
Kelly Akashi’s newest installation contends with the devastating wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles last year—and destroyed her home in Altadena.
Installation view of Kelly Akashi’s “Monument (Altadena),” part of the 2026 Whitney Biennial, on view March 8–August 23, 2026. (Photo: Timothy Schenck © Kelly Akashi)
Installation view of Kelly Akashi’s “Monument (Altadena),” part of the 2026 Whitney Biennial, on view March 8–August 23, 2026. (Photo: Timothy Schenck © Kelly Akashi)
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