AD Leave a rating/comment#Nihonga / UkiyoeBack to ArticlesSHARE Akashi’s home and studio in Altadena fell to the Eaton blaze, which started the evening of 7 January and rapidly burned through more than 9,000 structures, causing 17 deaths. Altadena is an older neighbourhood of tree-lined streets pressed against the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, so quiet it might be described as sleepy. Akashi evacuated on 8 January, quickly packing an overnight bag and her cat. The artist Kelly Akashi in her Altadena studio Brad Torchia Akashi, like the other artists The Art Newspaper spoke to, was able to move to housing provided by friends or family. But she knows this is a short-term solution and anticipates moving again before she finds new long-term housing. The artist’s house and studio also had a special lineage, having previously belonged to the veteran artists Jim Shaw and Marnie Weber. As someone born and educated in Los Angeles, Akashi says, “It was really important to have this historic studio.” Right now, finding a place to work is critical. Akashi’s show at Lisson, originally scheduled to open in late January, has been postponed. On Instagram she has published an “ask” list that includes equipment, materials and a place where she can work with glass and metal—both of which require high heat. The painter Christina Quarles also lived in Altadena and had already suffered fire damage to her main house last year, which was disruptive enough. Her studio, in a building on the same lot, had remained intact, but picking up the brushes again did not come easy. “After the fire last year, it was really heartbreaking to try to make art or try to work on any deadline or anything like that,” Quarles says. As a result, she was only able to make four paintings last year. And now she cannot go back to her studio because the area has been locked down by the National Guard. This will be followed by a series of safety checks by other agencies before she can regain access to her property. “Basically, after the fire last year, I put off everything for a year,” Quarles says, adding that she was due to have an exhibition at Hauser & Wirth in Los Angeles this month. For the time being, she, her partner and their young daughter have moved to a friend’s place in Joshua Tree. After that they have another place lined up in Miracle Mile, in mid-city Los Angeles, but she misses Altadena. Eleven paintings were all that the artist Adam Ross was able to salvage on a hurried return visit the morning after he and his wife evacuated their property in Altadena. They lived on half an acre with three older houses and a custom-built studio. “We come back up our driveway, and our house is on fire and the studio’s just catching on fire,” he says. “The studio’s locked and we smashed the glass to get in. I got most of my new work out. I lost every drawing I ever made, my sketchbooks. We got our cat, the 11 paintings, the clothes on our back and the stuff in the safes.” He adds that his wife, the sculptor Caitlin Ross, lost all her work. “The thinking has been, we’re not dead.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Adam Ross (@therealadamrossaltadena) his in-laws have a studio in nearby Sierra Madre where he and his wife (and cat) are staying But they will not be allowed back to their neighbourhood to live or rebuild until after the state does extensive clean-up work Kathryn Andrews lost her home in the Palisades fire A friend called to warn her about a plume of smoke near her house and when she went outside it was “massive” The evacuation notice came shortly thereafter and she left I packed a suitcase in five minutes,” she says “In Los Angeles everyone is so spread out geographically due to the size of the city—the distances and as the fires kept cropping up we were all calling each other.” One person she began talking to was her fellow artist Andrea Bowers who is known for making work with strong activist themes “We began talking about the need to help other people.” Andrews, Bowers and a handful of others quickly launched Grief and Hope a grassroots fundraising effort to help artists and art workers who have suffered losses from the fires They set an initial goal of raising $500,000 which they reached in two weeks and have increased to $750,000 Donations are processed through the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe and funnelled through the non-profit organisation The Brick including from artists living elsewhere like Rashid Johnson Meanwhile, Akashi is eager to return to what is left of her home and studio, especially to see if any of her work survived. “I’ve already purchased a nonferrous metal detector, which detects bronze and brass, not steel,” she says. She is fiercely determined to make new work, adding to a handful of extant pieces including bronzes and pedestals at foundries, for her new show. “We would like to open the show by Frieze,” she says. She hopes the week of fairs and events in late February will provide a show of support for the Los Angeles art scene and the artists who have helped make it a cultural capital. interview21 February 2025Expert Eye: Amanda Sroka’s Frieze Los Angeles favouritesGathering objects of desire with the senior curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art news17 January 2025Frieze will proceed with Los Angeles fair following deadly wildfires in the cityA fair spokesperson said the decision came after “careful consideration and extensive conversations with galleries news12 February 2025Los Angeles pop-up exhibition showcases—and benefits—wildfire victimsCurated by Aram Moshayedi “One Hundred Percent” includes works by Kelly Akashi Diana Thater and others impacted by the fires Sani grew up between West Warren and Dearborn areas which are known for their large Iraqi Arab populations as Iraqi families start to converge on Dearborn and the photographer is eager to document West Warren before it evolves beyond recognition “I wanted to capture this moment in time before it changes completely because it was the same for so long,” she tells me you don’t really think of it as anything special because you don’t know any different.”  she gained fresh perspective on her hometown and came to see that her community did “live in a really special place,” she continues “because everybody’s just sitting on the porch smoking hookah and there’s Arabic signs everywhere Even huge chain [stores] have Arabic signs and everything is halal.”  The Iraqi-Iranian American photographer chose to focus on the month of Muharram Muharram is one of the four sacred months of the Islamic year and the first month of the Islamic calendar The day of Ashura also takes place during Muharram a mournful day for Shia Muslims on which they commemorate the death of the Imam Ali Muharram explores the still life of the domestic space during this time The series was shortlisted for the 7th edition of the Jameel Prize the V&A’s international award for contemporary art and design inspired by Islamic tradition and is on show until 16th March 2025 at the gallery alongside other shortlisted artists Sadik Kwaish Alfraji Sani’s images feature high exposure and clear and direct flash reflecting a style that is at once unforgivingly documentary and poetically meditative Sani calls her process “guerilla shooting” and says she waits for the moment to come to her then photographs intuitively and organically One photograph is a close-up of her grandmother “I only bought the camera to videotape us making Qeymeh a food very specific to Muharram,” says the artist “And then my grandma just started talking and I thought let me just take pictures of her while talking two plastic dolls are laid out beside one another jewellery and keyrings featuring images of the Imam Ali an offering made to Ruqayya bint Husayn – one of Imam Ali’s daughters – may look “on the outside… comical to some people but it really is a simple gesture,” Sani tells me “I’m trying to provide evidence of a time that existed.”  she documents the objects which make up who she is We see a red velour jewellery box filled with gold and a circle charm with palm trees and mosques in the background as well as a green box with gold Arabic writing – a common scene in Arab households “A lot of the pieces in the jewellery box are pieces that I made,” says Sani Sani is still interested in other media in fact and while she’s continuing to work on Muharram is also exploring other means of expression “Lately I’ve been sewing hijabs with my aunt,” she says Maybe this will be a good opportunity for me to try to find some resources.” She’s also drawn to found objects “I don’t know how I want to present them yet but it’s something that I do every day – I find something every day Jameel Prize: Moving Images is on at the Victoria and Albert Musuem, South Kensington, until 16 March 2025 Dalia Al-Dujaili is the online editor of BJP and an Iraqi-British arts writer and producer based in London. Bylines include The Guardian, Dazed, GQ Middle East, WePresent, Aperture, Atmos, It's Nice That, Huck, Elephant Art and more. She's the founder of The Road to Nowhere magazine and the author of Babylon, Albion. You can pitch to her at dalia@1854.media. daliaaldujaili.com Installation view: Kelly Akashi: Mood Organ Courtesy the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery Ann C. Collins is a writer living in Brooklyn. She holds an MFA in Art Criticism and Writing from the School of Visual Arts. Home Courtesy of Frieze and CKA; All others: Getty Images.Save this storySaveSave this storySaveOn January 7 the artist Kelly Akashi packed a bag at her house in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Altadena to go stay at the Los Feliz home of a friend the Château Shatto gallery founder Olivia Barrett a historic abode that before her had been inhabited by LA artists Jim Shaw and Marnie Weber The city had also cut off her power in order to prevent the spread of fires and she didn’t want to spend the night in the dark and cold Akashi—who has long been one of LA’s most beloved artist’s artists with a fiercely devoted network of friends across age or gallery affiliation—quickly packed some essentials and family heirlooms the entirety of a show set to open at Lisson Gallery later that month given the risks posed by tree branches flying through the air you were so worried about a potential fire you weren’t paying attention to the wind,’” Akashi told me this week “So I just packed up quickly and I started driving.” she saw something glowing in the distance and ignored it determined to make it out of the danger of the winds A few hours later alerts started coming in on her phone that there was a fire and it was spreading She heard there was a 10-foot inferno wall coming down her street and the news had failed to reach some of her neighbors until it was terrifyingly late which contained the bronze sculptures and glass installations for her first show with a new gallery At Barrett’s house Akashi decided to face the inevitable 20 February – 29 March 2025Kelly Akashi Courtesy Lisson“We went up to the top floor of the house and we could see the fire,” she said ‘My house is probably burning right now.’” before the National Guard sealed off the neighborhood which she moved into in 2021 after years of shuttling between different pads and studios There was seemingly nothing left except for her Skutt kiln which had within it an intact bead of hand-blown glass It at first appeared that the rest of the show had been pinned down under tons of collapsed rubble or outright destroyed she and a few friends showed up in P100 masks covered head to toe in organic clothing—“there were burning embers that had been falling out of the sky and they said anything plastic could melt on my skin,” Akashi explained—and an extraction mandate: recover what they could from the ashes we were wearing protective gear but he just jumped in my studio,” she said noting that among the many unknown toxins and hazards were a home’s worth of sharp I didn’t know how hot the fire had gotten; house fires tend to get to over 1,800 degrees but it probably didn’t get to even 1,400 at my house.” We were speaking exactly six weeks after the fires first raged after rains had put the fires out for good and calmed the city’s nerves—to a degree But there was still a palpable sense of the fact that batteries and motorcycles had been incinerated in the blaze and gone…somewhere It was a little disconcerting to see white specks blanketing my eyelashes when I returned home Tuesday evening a hot dog stand in Hollywood that churns out creatively topped wieners with remarkable quality jalapeños) and I got the Emeril Lagasse Bam dog (mustard A number of collectors and dealers were in town for Frieze week and openings that has come to occupy a very specific place in Los Angeles’s pre–Academy Awards cultural schedule Akashi’s always a fixture of the fair week—we first met during this week years ago at a Chateau Marmont dinner where a posse of artists and restaurant owners lingered long after dessert on the outdoor patio—but especially on this particular year 2025Chris Burden/Licensed by the Chris Burden Estate.Akashi decided not to cancel her show and fill the gallery space with a suite of works that emerged from an intense period of concentrated art-making in the last few weeks The bronzes that survived had been fished out of the ashes and now had a patina of fire had been at a friend’s house when the disaster struck The rest of the work had to be cast quickly She would sneak into the destruction zone to find snapped branches and then cast them as bronze sculptures to install in the show The January show would open during Frieze week ‘You can’t be a glassblower if you can’t deal with heat and loss,’ and I’d say I’m being tested right now on both of those,” she said “cements Los Angeles as an international art capital”—would likely be canceled and canceling its marquee American edition could scare off anyone wading into the bidding pool.) was filled with New Yorkers hoping the same Tinseltown magic would endure in the after times (Residents have already taken to speaking the COVID-era markers of the “before times” and the “after times.”) By Tuesday morning the press corps had descended upon the arts district to the massive complex that is Hauser & Wirth which was staging David Hammons’s Concerto in Black and Blue which is a mostly empty dark gallery illuminated only by viewers’ tiny blue flashlights Phones are locked in a Yondr pouch like a Dave Chappelle set the press-shy artist who’s made few public appearances in decades On Tuesday night I stopped by the studio of Tristan Unrau a pretty remarkable young painter who will have a show next year at David Kordansky Gallery which also currently has on view at its massive Mid City space epic exhibitions by Sam McKinniss and Lesley Vance Unrau and I shared an Uber ride across town and he said that what hit him most was the strangeness of the tragedy the fact that people were learning to grieve the loss of possessions Camille Rowe and Theo NiarchosBy Myles Hendrick.Lorraine Nicholson and Jed MochBy Myles Hendrick.“It would have been a little ridiculous if they canceled everything,” he said “The first Saturday after everything was eerily quiet Case in point: Unrau and I were headed to a Frieze kickoff party not at the Getty Villa as in years past but at another kind of Getty villa—the home of family heir Balthazar Getty high atop the Sunset Strip where we were greeted with a massive bowl of free cigarettes (I noticed an uptick of smoking in general) a gigantic taxidermy polar bear in the library who was ducking well-wishers yelling “Balty!” in his direction Vanity Fair editor at large Lorraine Nicholson hosted a dinner at her Laurel Canyon home to celebrate the opening of “Ponyshow,” an exhibition put together by curator Jed Moch with some of the proceeds from the sales benefiting fire relief What a cross section of New Yorkers and Angelenos: the actor Logan Lerman chatting near Al Pacino and Danny Huston while New Yorker writer Naomi Fry was testing out some questions with London-based artist Issy Wood (Fry would be interviewing Wood at her show at Michael Werner Gallery in Beverly Hills the next day.) The artist Honor Titus and the pop star Kim Petras were there and Ed Ruscha on the walls as part of the show Gatewood was among the artists in attendance alongside the model/influencer Devon Lee Carlson and the filmmaker Nadia Lee Cohen Artist Rose Salane was standing near the rocker Holden Jaffe of Del Water Gap Russell was leaving as the artist Calvin Marcus arrived having just opened a stellar show at his Hollywood space of work by Cy Twombly from the collection of the Cologne doctor Reiner Speck On Wednesday the Felix fair opened at the Hollywood Roosevelt ahead of a vast spree of openings throughout the city and next week it opens its Oscar weekend exhibition: three portraits of Bob Dylan by Richard Prince David Zwirner has Lisa Yuskavage’s first LA show in years Blum is showing a survey of Yoshitomo Nara sculptures and Doug Aitken has shows at Regen Projects and the Marciano Foundation Marian Goodman hosted Bruce Nauman’s first LA show in decades Karma unveiled a suite of new sculptures by Woody De Othello and the dealer Sam Parker opened the doors of his new Parker Gallery space on Melrose with work by Daisy Sheff and Joe Minter Matthew Marks opened his gallery’s first show with the painter Jacqueline Humphries and the dinner at nearby restaurant Ysabel attracted a slew of the city’s museum directors and artists from across all types of mega-galleries or nerves over how the fair would go the next day the fires were not a topic of conversation at my table Frieze opened Thursday morning just a few miles from the devastation of the Pacific Palisades and an hour after the first VIPs arrived at the Santa Monica Airport Hauser & Wirth sold out its booth of paintings by Ambera Wellmann Karma sold works in the six figures by Jonas Wood Matthew Brown had a rush of offers for work by Sasha Gordon and Kordansky sold out its booth of work by Maia Cruz Palileo Gagosian was still looking for a buyer for Chris Burden’s Nomadic Folly an interactive tented installation that was first shown at the Istanbul Biennial in the weeks after September 11 Gwyneth Paltrow came down from Montecito for the festivities presumably to talk up his recently revived artistic practice the gallery owner turned congressional candidate in Orange County sat down at a picnic table to take a Zoom call with her campaign team to discuss talking points One adviser stopped by to say that she was walking the rapper Kid Cudi through the fair I made my way to Lisson Gallery to see Akashi’s full show on Thursday before the fair There were delicate wall installations and mysterious sculptures a real-time chronicle of the first few months of 2025 in Los Angeles The works recovered from the wreckage of the house are triumphantly on view listed its media: “Eaton Fire patinated lost-wax cast bronze and flame-worked borosilicate glass.” It’s undeniable: The flames give the work an incredible red patina that seems otherworldly an artwork crafted by the hand of a furious fire god The recovered work might be too pat a metaphor for a city rising from the ashes but it also matches Akashi’s unbowed optimism in the face of ecological collapse and her unbending faith in Los Angeles and its artists We had spoken a little bit about these themes at Pink’s earlier in the week “I am sorry if I start crying,” she said as we took the last bites of our hot dogs “The best possible outcome is that people really remember that art has a value outside of the market Because I think the way the community has come together has shown us a power that maybe we’ve kind of forgotten about.” Have a tip? Drop me a line at nate_freeman@condenast.com. And make sure you subscribe to True Colors to receive Nate Freeman’s art-world dispatch in your inbox every week How Miriam Adelson Went From Big MAGA Winner to Casino Loser in Trump’s First 100 Days Trump’s Lies Are Finally Catching Up to Him The UK Has Found Another Reason to Be Mad at Meghan Markle “It’s About Him”: How Trump Is Perverting the Presidential Photo Stream The Ballad of Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson The Truth Underlying Pete Hegseth’s Job Security Why Are Americans So Obsessed With Protein How Sebastian Stan Became Hollywood’s Most Daring Shape-Shifter Every Quentin Tarantino Movie Meet Elon Musk’s 14 Children and Their Mothers (Whom We Know of) From the Archive: Sinatra and the Mob « Back Sanbanqiao Cemetery (三板橋) was once reserved for prominent Japanese residents of Taipei including former governor-general Motojiro Akashi who died in Japan in 1919 but requested to be buried in Taiwan Akashi may have reconsidered his decision if he had known that by the 1980s his grave had been overrun by the city’s largest illegal settlement which contained more than 1,000 households and a bustling market with around 170 stalls Fans of Taiwan New Cinema would recognize the slum as it was featured in several of director Wan Jen’s (萬仁) films about Taipei’s disadvantaged The residents used the gravestones as walkways and building material and hung their laundry atop the two torii gates which in Shintoism marks the boundary between the secular and sacred realms while the smaller one was originally believed to have honored the mother of former governor-general Nogi Maresuke Nogi’s mother died in 1896 but the inscription on the torii gate notes that it wasn’t constructed until 1935 and old photos of the mother’s grave did not show the gate Today a Bureau of Cultural Heritage entry states that it was built for Kamata Masatake who served as Akashi’s secretary among other positions and died in Taipei in 1935 The settlement was forcefully demolished in March 1997 under the insistence of then-Taipei mayor Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) Only then did the gravestones and gates reemerge The torii were temporarily moved to 228 Peace Memorial Park while the city built today’s Linsen Park (林森) and Kangle Park (康樂) but that was not yet the end of their strange odyssey Akashi is considered one of the more productive governor-generals during 50 years of Japanese rule 1919 while visiting his hometown of Fukuoka his body was shipped back to Taipei according to his last wishes He is the only governor-general to be buried in Taiwan Akashi graduated from military school in 1889 and participated in the Japanese takeover of Taiwan that lasted from May to October 1895 He then became a prominent intelligence officer in Europe and his activities contributed to the Japanese victory in the Russo-Japanese War Akashi headed the military police there before he was promoted to general and assigned to Taiwan in July 1918 Taiwan’s energy demand was growing then due to the expansion of local industries and Akashi organized the Taiwan Electric Power Co (Taipower’s predecessor) in 1919 and launched the Sun Moon Lake hydroelectricity project which eventually displaced indigenous Thao settlements and nearly flooded their sacred Lalu Island (see “Taiwan in Time: A community that needed to ‘change,’” Oct He also convinced the Japanese government to green light the costly Chianan Irrigation Canal (嘉南大圳) which was completed in 1930 (see “Taiwan in Time: The colonial water master,” May 5 Akashi promulgated the Taiwan Education Act which established a formal schooling system for Taiwanese children with options for secondary education as well as vocational and teacher training but it opened up many more educational opportunities for regular Taiwanese even though the system still favored Japanese students writes Cheng Cheng-cheng (鄭正誠) in “Taiwan Governor-General Motojiro Akashi’s inspection of the east coast and his illness” (台灣總督明石元二郎的東台灣巡視與罹病初探) and removed the governor-general’s ability to suspend judges making inspections to different locales almost every month Just two days after returning from a 51-day trip to Japan to set up the power company he set out on a one-month journey to the east coast on May 29 He fell ill afterward and although he recovered Akashi helped establish the Taiwan Army commander position to take over military duties from future governor-generals; this commander would directly answer to the emperor He then requested to abolish the rule that Taiwan could only be governed by military officers; his successor Kenjiro Den was the colony’s first civilian governor-general Akashi headed home to recuperate and died before he could return to Taiwan his body was placed on a ship and arrived in Keelung on Nov A stately ceremony was conducted at Sanbanqiao Cemetery Due to its proximity to the formerly walled city of Taipei where the Japanese set up their administrative headquarters the cemetery had developed into a prime resting place for the Japanese elite The first notable figure to be buried there was Nogi’s mother and after Nogi and his wife committed suicide in 1912 locks of their hair were brought to Taiwan and placed in the mother’s grave All remains have since been moved to Japan Sanbanqiao also contained the main crematorium for Taipei and noted democracy activist Chiang Wei-shui (蔣渭水) was cremated there after his death in 1931 The illegal settlement atop the cemetery was first set up by refugees from China’s Zhoushan Islands and Hainan Island and later they were joined by job-seekers from the south of Taiwan writes Tsai Chin-tang (蔡錦堂) in “From Sanbanqiao Japanese cemetery to Linsen and Kangle Parks” (從三板橋日人墓園到林森康樂公園文) The original funeral hall was converted into a high-end private mortuary that operated until the 1970s; today the Changan Pumping Station stands in its place The city had long wanted to do away with the settlement as it was surrounded by prime real estate but no mayor wanted to deal with it until Chen The residents were not happy with the compensation and pushed back with the support of scholars Akashi’s remains were moved to Fuyinshan Christian Cemetery (福音山) in New Taipei City’s Sanchih District (三芝) but the headstone was abandoned at the construction site for the future Neihu MRT station antique collector Kuo Shuang-fu (郭雙富) had it dug up and donated it to the Taiwan Historica Library in Taichung The other Japanese remains are now interred at Taichung’s Paochueh Buddhist Temple (寶覺寺) but the torii gate was left in 228 Peace Memorial Park A 2009 Liberty Times (Taipei Times’ sister paper) article details how the city “forgot” about the gates and left them in bad shape with an information display that was full of errors the two gates were returned to their original location in Linsen Park a column about Taiwan’s history that is published every Sunday spotlights important or interesting events around the nation that either have anniversaries this week or are tied to current events GAM - Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Milano will host the solo exhibition of Japanese-born and raised American artist Kelly Akashi (Los Angeles this is the title of the exhibition curated by Bruna Roccasalva is the first exhibition dedicated to the artist by an Italian institution Born out of the collaboration between Fondazione Furla and GAM Kelly Akashi’s exhibition is the sixth edition of the Furla Series project a partnership begun in 2021 to promote yearly exhibition projects that offer an opportunity for the masters of the past to meet the protagonists of the contemporary.New productions by Kelly Akashi designed specifically to dialogue with the spaces and collection of the Milanese museum will be on display for the occasion Akashi’s works explore universal concepts such as time and space the transience of the human body and entropy Akashi models forms that evoke natural elements such as plants capturing physiological changes and the passage of time are juxtaposed in poetic compositions that His works invite us to explore existential questions encouraging us to view the world from a broader Akashi conceived a project centered on the concept of “reflection,” which unfolds through a visionary journey within the museum’s permanent collection This project creates a dynamic dialogue with the architecture and masterpieces present establishing a synergy that enriches the visitor’s visual and conceptual experience For info: https://www.fondazionefurla.org/ Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information National Report Hyogo Prefecture--A local planetarium damaged in the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake will observe its 30th anniversary on Jan 17 by stopping its turret clock for 12 hours from 5:46 a.m “We must not allow memories of the disaster to fall into oblivion,” said Takeshi Inoue director of the Akashi Municipal Planetarium “We will halt the clock’s hands to give all of us a chance to look back on the earthquake.” Employees will observe a moment of silence in honor of the 6,434 victims Panels about the disaster will also go on display inside the facility stands on the meridian of 135 degrees east longitude The clock is mounted near the top of the 54-meter-tall tower and has a diameter of 6.2 meters The magnitude-7.3 earthquake leveled much of Kobe and surrounding areas The elevator shaft sustained structural damage between the 13th and 14th floors The planetarium was certified as “wrecked” with cracks in the structure found to total 6 kilometers the clock remained frozen in time when the earthquake severed cables until they began moving again about one month later following emergency repairs The clock was temporarily removed in October 1996 during restoration of the planetarium The restored planetarium opened its doors in March that year after a hiatus of three years and two months it was considered a busy day if 1,000 people visited the facility But about 4,500 attended day one of the reopening and visitors for the first four days totaled 20,000 Audiences erupted in applause when planetarium projections ended on the first day said his hands were trembling from nervousness He said he felt that visitors were seeing hopes for post-quake recovery in the light of stars A cultural facility may be of little use immediately after a disaster but it can play an important role of providing joy and fun when people rebuild their lives VOX POPULI: Planetarium visit thrills us with the miracle that is the universe Memorial opens at school that saved 90 lives from tsunami Fireball turns ‘night into day’ in western Japan Wall clock that survived A-bomb keeps on ticking 77 years later Information on the latest cherry blossom conditions Please right click to use your browser’s translation function.) A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II In-house News and Messages No reproduction or republication without written permission Tanya Bonakdar Gallery is pleased to announce Kelly Akashi: Infinite Body the artist’s second solo exhibition with the gallery on view in New York from April 27 – June 10 2023. Exploring the biological memory of the body through the language of geology, Infinite Body presents materially diverse translations of the artist’s personal and shared experiences along a broader temporal landscape cast representations of the artist’s body are broken into pieces and merged with other representations of natural bodies on large rammed earth platforms The fragmented body becomes a poetic experiment encapsulating the impermanence of life while also reflecting the romance and history of material processes The body as a vessel of consciousness is conceptually connected to altar-like calcite forms and personal objects presented throughout the exhibition.Downstairs a pair of the artist’s cast bronze hands interlock in the form of vesica piscis a geometric symbol formed by the intersection of two discs this overlapping shape brings two bodies together Glass flowers are intertwined around the fingers growing out of the merging worlds.Presented on the two largest platforms are several sculptures made from carved stone and found objects imbued with personal history Akashi records geologic time through the layered earth that forms these platforms Particularly interested in the transformation and history of materials from the short-lived experience of chewing a piece of gum to casting momentary gestures into perpetual existence.Throughout the exhibition friendship necklaces from broken relationships accompany voluminous glass leaves The recognizable jewelry signifies one part of a meaningful relationship These contemporary artifacts speak to shared and individual senses of time and history Tiny formations made from pieces of chewing gum are also affixed to the leaves the scent of spearmint or cinnamon leaves its trace in the air temporarily.An intricate network of borosilicate glass slowly rotates on a circular concrete pedestal under the skylight upstairs delicate glass cherry blossoms grow from its core while its roots branch inward and internally cherry blossoms are incorporated to reference Hanami the Japanese tradition of appreciating ephemeral cherry tree blooms This fleeting notion of time captures the impermanence of nature and our bodily existence.Mapping time in connection to the past and future Akashi’s new series of photographs are made from large astronomy glass plate negatives taken by telescopes this body of photographs consists of contact prints that document the creation and dissolution of star formations the gaseous body of a star is pictured as it slowly loses its outer layers to the cosmic landscape The infinite vastness of these cosmological landscapes mirrors the cyclical nature of the geological particles presented throughout the exhibition while simultaneously observing the incomprehensible notion of deep time. In the adjacent room a large bronze thistle hangs from the ceiling; its prickly surface and threatening bloom is adorned with small lights a crystal cast of the artist’s torso is engulfed by a thorny bronze cage-like structure These works collapse the boundary between protection and pain and represent the necessary difficulties that inspire new growth. Born in 1983 in Los Angeles Kelly Akashi currently lives and works in Los Angeles The artist graduated with a MFA from University of Southern California in 2014 Akashi studied at the Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste - Städelschule in Frankfurt am Main and received her BFA at Otis College of Art and Design in 2006.Currently Akashi has a major solo exhibition at the San Jose Museum of Art entitled Formations. The exhibition will travel to the Frye Museum of Art in Seattle and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego Akashi will present a commission project at the Henry Art Gallery in Seattle. In 2020 Akashi had a solo exhibition of a commissioned sculpture, Cultivator she had a significant solo exhibition, Long Exposure at SculptureCenter in New York.Winner of the 2022 Art + Technology Lab Grant at LACMA Akashi also received the 2019 Carolyn Glasoe Bailey Foundation Art Prize and completed a residency at the foundation in Ojai Greece (2019) and Headlands Center for the Arts both of which concluded with a solo exhibition. Notable group exhibitions include Ground/work at the Clark Art Institute (2021) Possédé·e·s at MoCo Montpellier Contemporain Los Angeles (2016); Museum of Contemporary Art Musée d’art contemporain de Lyon New York (2016); Can’t Reach Me There Minneapolis (2015).Kelly Akashi’s work can be found in the permanent collections of the Brooklyn Museum New York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art Los Angeles; San Jose Museum of Art; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego; CC Foundation Shanghai; X Museum, Beijing; The Perimeter All installation images above: Photo by Pierre Le Hors Check the boxes for the cookie categories you allow our site to use in collaboration with Momo Akashi                         Project : https://www.timecapsuleprojectnyc.com/friday-saturday NY: Mai Ozeki and Momo Akashi are pleased to announce that their original 60-minute play VOICE directed by Kevin Cheng will be part of Time Capsule Project “VOICE” is a one-act play with “justice” as its theme a boy who has been battling illness for ten years strives for a miraculous recovery through surgery by a skilled doctor known as the “God Hand.” a female patient hospitalized for having her throat slashed by an unknown assailant Lina and Seth start searching for the culprit together.As they delve into finding the perpetrator they uncover certain secrets hidden within the hospital and their surgeries Song “i like…”:Maria White and Naomi Harris TICKET:  https://www.eventbrite.com/o/time-capsule-project-83920609743 Tickets are $30(Additional Fee from Eventbrite may apply) Show will run approximately around 60minutes without an intermission TIME CAPSULE PROJECT: https://www.timecapsuleprojectnyc.com Our Mission is to empower our participating artists to become the next generation of creative leaders in the theatrical industry both in New York and Japan supportive network and a creative space that will serve to inspire and entertain our audiences MAI OZEKI is a Japanese actor based in New York City.She moved to New York City in 2022 .She was trained at HB Studio and studied the Uta Hagen Acting Technique She has performed in wide variety of productions in Tokyo including “The Atami Murder Case”（Candy Project） “Welcome to Kasumi-so”,”STAY ALIVE”,”The room where we can not see ghosts”（Theater Company Petti ）etc… She also loves singing with a band and has participated in many concerts Momo Akashi is a New York-based book writer and lyricist She specializes in creating stories that include the concept of “East-Meets-West” a blossoming collaboration between Japanese Culture and American Culture She completed her master’s degree in Musical Theatre Writing at NYU Tisch about the architect of the World Trade Center; this work was previewed at the Tank in New York City and some songs were presented at New York City’s Feinstein’/54 Below was chosen for the Sixth Festival and premiered at Theatre 80 in New York Momo has won the Shubert Foundation Scholarship and the Tisch Graduate Student Organization Grant Award She has also penned opera librettos as part of the American Opera Project Momo created and oversaw entertainment as Chief Events Producer at Tokyo Disney Resorts she also handled the character creation and branding of “Duffy and Friends” Kevin Cheng is a Taiwanese actor and writer based in New York City He received his training at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre and HB Studio.Notable theater credits include: The Seagull (HB Playwrights) It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play (Fiction Brooklyn) Kevin is deeply interested in telling stories that highlight human connections and explore how people grope their way toward a sense of equanimity in face of unexpected life events He is very honored to make his directorial debut in New York graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a bachelor’s degree in TV/Film Production and Drama he thrives within the vibrant arts community His acting journey has seen him in lead roles such as in ‘Sin Señal’ by NYC Latin Media and ‘Seeds’ by Ryan Jordan he embodied “Marty McFly” in Cloud Theatre’s Turkey Tour of ‘Back to the Future’ showcasing his versatile talent on international stages Sudip Ulak is a dedicated actor with a passion for bringing complex characters to life on stage and screen where he honed his craft in various acting tools and techniques Sudip’s recent work includes short films End Of The Line Millenia Game and A Sketch of New York comedy act He is eager to continue building his career with challenging and diverse roles that resonate with audiences Sudip is committed to learning new languages and writing stories He is a dynamic and engaging collaborator who thrives in creative environments NY: Kevin Cheng is pleased to announce that his original one-act play DEAR DIARY White will be part of the 2025 Chain Winter One-Act Festival 3rd Fl.) DEAR DIARY performance dates (Program #9) Feb 7th Kevin Cheng is establishing a name for himself in the ‘theater of engagement’ sphere: those unfrivolous and existential dramas that train their spotlight on humans at their most vulnerable which had its global premiere at New York’s Chain Theatre as part of its Time Capsule… ©Captured and Edited by Miku Hirayama with iPhoto Written by Momo Akashi and directed by Kevin Cheng VOICE had its global premiere on July 6 as part of the Time Capsule project at the Chain Theatre in New York City As the brainchild of producer and artistic director Ai Toyoshima and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Courtesy of Paramount Pictures Get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning‘s underwater scenes were filmed by Tom Cruise and film crew members The upcoming film stars Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt ©Courtesy of Rolling Pictures Fighting against any obstacle in order to report the news without fear of death or reprisal is an admirable sign of the world’s most courageous journalists is a prime example of such an innovative writer Her story is chronicled in the new biographical movie,… ©Courtesy of Saban Films and Roadside Attractions Saban Films and Roadside Attractions have released a new trailer for “The Unholy Trinity” which is starring Samuel L Jackson has returned to the Western arena a decade after starring in Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight.” This time Photo by Nobuhiro Hosoki Nobuhiro Hosoki grew up watching American films since he was a kid; he decided to go to the United States thanks to seeing the artistry of Stanley Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange.” After graduating from film school he worked as an assistant director on TV Tokyo’s program called “Morning Satellite” at the… Y"},"category":false,"taxonomy":{"active":false,"name":"category"}},"markup":{"custom_html":true,"wpp-start":"","wpp-end":"<\/ul>","title-start":"","title-end":"<\/h2>","post-html":"{thumb} {title} {stats}<\/span><\/li>"},"theme":{"name":""}} Taiki and Arisa Chisaka watch as their son Tatara plays at a city-run child care center in western Japan's Akashi city Japan — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has promised "new dimension" measures to address an existential crisis: his country's plunging birthrate Fewer than 800,000 babies were born in Japan last year, the lowest figure since Japan began tallying births in 1899 and the seventh year of declines in a row, according to government data Japan's population has been shrinking for over a decade Yet despite the steady drumbeat of grim numbers whose population has been growing through rising childbirths and migration Places like Akashi may hold lessons for the rest of the country Akashi city resident Haruka Okamoto with her daughter Ikuho at a city-run child care center Facing the turrets of a 17th century castle seen from the windows play-cook on toy stoves and peruse shelves of books in one of several clean and brightly lit spaces at a child care center "We get generous support for child care and other things as her daughter plays beside her at the center It is a town which makes me think I want to live here forever." Kids in Akashi get free medical care up to age 18 and free school lunches up to 15 Families with two or more children get free nursery school and kindergarten delivered to their homes by midwives — all regardless of income While the diapers are helpful to new families the outreach and advice from child care professionals — a practice adopted from other communities in Japan and elsewhere — is also welcomed The policies have attracted young families to Akashi from other cities "So many parents are coming that there aren't enough facilities for them all," notes Akashi resident Taiki Chisaka who is at the child care center with his wife Arisa and son Tatara Akashi's population has increased for 10 years in a row, to over 300,000. Women in Akashi had an average of 1.65 kids in 2021, the last year for which figures were available, compared to 1.3 nationwide that year (the national rate has since fallen) which in turn attracts more residents and encourages them to have more kids officials have spoken about the severity of the situation of Japan's aging and shrinking population — and pitch their plan as a last chance to turn things around "The period until the early 2030s, when the population of young people is expected to decline sharply, is the last chance to reverse the declining birthrate trend," Prime Minister Kishida said on June 1 His government plans to double child care spending by the early 2030s, including bigger subsidies for families with kids, more support for higher education and medical care for children with disabilities His inability to explain how the cash-strapped nation will afford these measures and three decades of previous governments' unsuccessful efforts to increase dwindling births have contributed to a highly skeptical reception for the plan An Asahi Shimbun poll published Monday found 73% of respondents don't think Kishida's measures will halt the falling birthrate "I'm worried that Japanese people would prefer to accept a declining birthrate and everyone gradually, equally getting poorer, rather than accepting a big change, which causes some people to lose out," says sociologist Masahiro Yamada at Tokyo's Chuo University "The policy announcement made us feel that Japan will never recover from its low birth rate problem," laments Tae Amano the leader of a civic group that lobbies the government on child care policies One of her top recommendations: provide free high school and college education which 65% of parents surveyed by Amano's group said would motivate them to have more kids "We are getting tired of telling this to the government," Amano says "They never seriously consider what would actually work to solve the low birth rate." during which time he doubled the city's spending on child care Many Akashi residents credit the city's success to Fusaho Izumi Izumi says he decided to be a politician at age 10 "I was born into a not very wealthy family and my younger brother was disabled," he says "and I always wanted to make Akashi a town that is kind to the vulnerable." Izumi doubled Akashi's child care spending "I did not believe that population growth was the goal," he explains "It was just the result of making a city an easy place to live." Izumi explains that instead of increasing taxes he paid for the child care budget by cutting spending on public works this offended some bureaucrats and businessmen Last year, he resigned and apologized for making threatening remarks toward assembly members He says his words were taken out of context He insists Akashi's success can be replicated nationwide but he doesn't think that Prime Minister Kishida's plan is up to the task A video monitor at a city-run child care center in western Japan's Akashi city promotes the city's libraries as a way to connect schools says Kishida's plan suffers from the same flaws as those of his predecessors "The Japanese government has let this issue go for 30 years leading to a low birthrate and depopulation," he says "They did not understand the special character of the culture of Japan and East Asia." Yamada checks off a number of cultural factors: severe gender inequality, placing much of the burden of child care on women; women's expectations of marrying wealthy men; "parasite single" children who live with their parents and defer or avoid marriage; and parents so used to affluence that if their kids can't enjoy an equal or higher standard of living they prefer not to have them in the first place The gender gap in Japan appears to be getting worse. The World Economic Forum showed Japan sliding nine places this year Workplace culture in Japan also raises costs and risks associated with having children. While workers are entitled to maternity or paternity leave those who actually take it are often seen as inconsiderate for increasing the workload of their colleagues She says another problem is that Japan has yet to agree on prioritizing the birthrate issue. If it fails to do that, she warns, it could undercut other priorities — such as, for example, Japan's ongoing military buildup which is the country's biggest since World War II and their son Hideyuki at a city-run child care center The family moved to Akashi from Nara city to take advantage of the child care policies That means the other 75% don't have children "Sometimes we hear people raising children point out that Japan is unsympathetic to child-rearing," Prime Minister Kishida admitted at a news conference in March "people worry of being told that the shouts of children playing in the park are a disturbance to their neighbors." He pledged to "change the consciousness of society," including that of "companies for whom this issue has not been seen as very relevant until now." Chie Kobayashi contributed to this report in Akashi and Tokyo Become an NPR sponsor outdoor process felt well-suited to an era of isolation and marble rest on sawhorses outside her studio a converted garage in the unincorporated city of Altadena Many of these pieces will never appear in exhibitions “I try to be careful not to make any of my studies too precious,” explains Akashi Some of them end up archived in labeled boxes a record of the experiments that go on to inform completed artworks “I always say the best time to make work is when I don’t have a bunch of deadlines,” she notes “It’s really nice when there’s just no goal.” which opens at the Museum of Contemporary Art (It originated at the San José Museum of Art in September 2022 and then traveled to the Frye Art Museum in Seattle.) The show spans the past decade of Akashi’s career and treats her materials—photography plant matter—as part of a constellation the exhibition feels so coherent that it could be mistaken for a single installation The golden rope Akashi has used for years drapes over walls anchoring delicate-looking bronze body parts and glass orbs But meandering paths create a lot of volume featured in the “Formations” exhibition catalog This pivotal encounter with contemporary photography led her to study the subject at Otis College of Art and Design I started realizing maybe it was never really about photography.” Like Goldin and connection-making; photography was just one way to pursue these urges By the time she received an MFA from the University of Southern California in 2014 The wax came first—during her first semester of graduate school when her mother taught her candle making—and led her to make wax replicas of her own hands A friend who worked at a foundry offered to cast them in bronze free of charge “It’s a terrible thing he did for me,” she jokes "because now I’m hooked.” Akashi has taken multiple trips to Pilchuck an epicenter of the American studio glass movement She spent the summer of 2022 learning glass-blowing techniques in Murano these ways of working are all extensions of the same impulse: to explore time and our inability to control it included in “Formations,” consists of a pearl-hued shell-like basin with small glass balls interrupted by disembodied bronze fingers at the bottom This work helped Akashi begin to grapple with nonhuman perspectives and inspired her to research fossils She has always used her own figure—through casts of body parts and materials collected from her life—as a threshold she started to think about how to “situate the human timeline on these other timelines that are just as valid.” to visit the remains of the camp where her father had been interned in the 1940s She knew that internees planted trees during their time there “They’re these last witnesses of that time,” she says “That’s why I wanted to go there initially to see if there were any trees.” There were and she made bronze casts of the branches she collected In “Formations,” these sculptures lie across large pedestals of rammed dirt intended to make viewers feel like they are immersed in the earth Over the past year, Akashi has become increasingly interested in outer space. So when Shamim M. Momin, director of curatorial affairs at the University of Washington’s Henry Art Gallery in Seattle asked if she wanted to collaborate with any department at the university for an exhibition "Encounters," opening the week after “Formations,” Akashi suggested astronomy In collaboration with astrophysicist Tom Quinn she has been working on a simulation that shows the merger of the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies which scientists predict will happen in approximately 4.5 billion years “It’s so romantic and horrifying at the same time,” she says “There’s something about getting people to see things that aren’t for us They’re just things happening in the universe." "Formations" will be on view from September 21, 2023 through Feburary 18, 2024 at MCASD. "Encounters" will be on view from September 20, 2023 through May 5, 2024 at Henry Art Gallery in Seattle. Sign up to our newsletter for the latest arts and culture updates Akashi is one of the first tenants announced at Magnolia Village Northwest Asian Weekly June 21, 2023 By Admin I’ve walked into the Kelly Akashi: Formations exhibition at the Frye Art Museum on First Hill and it is at once familiar and new It’s the largest showing of Akashi’s work thus far covering up to 10 years of her exploration and experimentation in various media as well as outlying pieces at the entrances After listening to a short introduction at the Frye Summer Exhibitions Opening Reception on June 16 I went into Formations backwards from the direction of the auditorium it was Life Forms-Being As A Thing-Inheritance I think this is a better way to go because you get a feel for Akashi’s work and self which deals with her Japanese American family’s incarceration camp history which maybe is why when I entered the Inheritance gallery there was an old man in front of me laughing and unable to resist touching the foremost pedestal and the items displayed on it His friends giggled and reminded him not to touch but he reached out over and over anyway at the earthen slab Lost-wax cast and polished stainless steel Having listened to the talk between Akashi and the Frye Chief Curator and Director of Exhibitions I knew that these objects reference the incarceration camp at Poston they reflect Akashi’s own experience and that of other descendants who have visited these camps prospecting for remnants of their parents’ and grandparents’ time there It was here that Akashi took back up her interest in analog photography—which is where she started as an artist—and also further developed her scientific fascination with geology and with art forms such as bronze casting The room and everything in it speaks immediately of pain of the past lives and the broken lives of those that were imprisoned there It is pieces left behind and picked up by those who visit the camps now Akashi has placed upon the earthen-work pedestals (which she makes herself) items that hearken back to her own artistic tradition Donnan mentioned that Akashi has previously said she is “interested in this idea of objects talking back “Can objects or sculptures be carriers of emotion and transmit emotion Can I somehow get them to…communicate feeling?” This was the “problem” Akashi wanted to tackle and she has done so successfully Akashi wants her work to resonate with the viewer She has even included a bell atop one display hanging from a rope that is a common motif—the connection of the umbilical cord “I wanted people to be thinking super deeply and abstractly inside themselves [and thought] it would be great if there was a part of the work that would reach inside of you and touch you in a deep part of your body.” “I’m going to keep this short so it’s not too long,” were her introductory remarks at the reception She came to her talk with Donnan dressed respectfully yet casually her hair cropped short versus how it looks in her portfolio photos—or how it looks in the “effigy” of herself she made in stone that sits outside Life Forms Akashi is a highly scientific artist or artistic scientist Her initial interest in analog photography progressed to candle making (where she learned a lot from her mother) to glass making and sculptures in multiple media not to mention a bevy of other types of photography she is working on a new piece that she will reveal at the next phase of this moving exhibition which will be at the Henry Art Gallery on the University of Washington (UW) campus This piece will be based partly upon an archive of astronomical glass plates that Akashi has been viewing at UW— “moving on from a geologic time scale to a galactic time scale,” described Donnan “What’s exciting to me about these objects She has been “looking at how different bodies interact and relate to each other…there’s just some really foundational things going on with bodies and gravity in general Akashi mentioned she would likely talk around her work and herself and devoted woman whose work is also multi-layered and which draws from those layers of connection Take for instance her fascination with the insides of seashells (not the outsides) and how they resemble our own insides She is interested in our link to other people when she places her grandmother’s ring upon a glass casting of her own hand—which she has recast dozens of times and in the process connecting to her own self and its journey through space and time I can’t be sure but I’m almost sure I also heard a dismissive remark—dismissive of contemporary art maybe of Asian art—from that trio of giggling senior citizens in the Inheritance gallery I was pleased in general with the diverse crowd that came to the Frye but I don’t know what business someone had being there that could not appreciate—and did not want to appreciate—Akashi’s work or the work of others currently on display at the Frye at something you recognize or understand; at something that delights by its innovation Kelly Akashi: Formations is organized by the San José Museum of Art and curated by Lauren Schell Dickens The presentation at the Frye Art Museum is organized by Amanda Donnan Chief Curator and Director of Exhibitions and runs until Sept Kai can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com Filed Under: Arts & Entertainment Tagged With: 2023, Frye Art Museum, June 19 - June 25, exhibition Global Lead Partner and transformation form the core of Kelly Akashi's practice Akashi brings the medium's concern with questions of time and truth to her sculptural work across a diverse array of media and video.For this commissioned exhibition the artist continues her explorations in the mapping of time to locate humankind amongst other consciousnesses along Earth's geological timeline A large-scale video filling the back wall of the double-height gallery is comprised of vignettes of different kinds of simulated astronomical bodies in particular the projected galaxy collision of the Milky Way and Andromeda (the closest galaxy to us) in 4.5 billion years engage earth via multiple referents: tectonic shifts the organic swell of the ground beneath our feet often holding delicate porcelain and glass forms that draw attention to the fluidity and interconnectedness of her chosen media Surrounding the sculptural installation are a selection of crystallographs a camera-less photographic process wherein the artist grows crystals on film and prints enlargements of these forms.Deftly combining and contrasting scale Akashi's Encounters form a crucible for the vast possibilities inherent in connection and collision These outcomes may be simultaneously painful and nurturing Encounters invites the viewer to consider the precariousness of their own material body and life seeing concurrently both the insignificance and preciousness of one's existence in the scope of the universe Local dirt pressed into a layered plinth like Earth’s strata. A bronze object steadily patinaing to green. They all trace the histories—personal geological—by which Kelly Akashi is gripped More than three dozen of her pieces from the last decade sprawl across five galleries opening with a bronze sculpture of two intertwined tumbleweeds The object is modeled after real tumbleweeds Akashi photographed in Poston was confined in a Japanese-American internment camp during World War II “It’s a monument to something ephemeral,” says Jill Dawsey Such monuments from Akashi’s pandemic-era trip to Poston stipple the exhibition Seemingly mundane natural objects—branches stones—become stark reminders of what they or their progenitors witnessed Pieces crafted prior to Akashi’s Poston series reflect the same impulse to commemorate the fleeting, even as it slips away. Hands—Akashi’s own—are among the dominant symbols in Formations because Akashi intends to cast her hands every year for the rest of her life Throughout the galleries, fluttering, tactile things—fingers, leaves—are stilled, frozen in bronze and crystal. Notoriously rigid materials like glass take on organic movement But even when movement is arrested, there’s a hunger to Akashi’s work. The hands she casts are rarely truly at rest. Instead, they clutch, climb, tangle with rope. One helps suspend, by threads, a glass orb on the opposite side of a gallery wall—so “we have to rely on our own internal mapping to picture the two objects together,” says Zachary Abramson Akashi calls “asking the questions” integral to her art-making. But, because of her attention to craft, her process of creation—an object’s formation—is just as important as its conceptual lean Take Summer Weed, a deceptively simple-looking sculpture of a lanky plant that took two years to complete. Akashi initially allowed a weed to grow tall in her backyard and applied them to the stem in the same pattern as the original plant “I wanted the way I made this sculpture to be an important part of its story so I made it as difficult as possible for myself,” she says The results of her meticulousness are all exquisitely beautiful while her larger pieces are naturally the most arresting at first glance it’s the smaller works that don’t seem to let me go they seduce you and pull you in,” she says “to reach inside the viewer.” The lines on her bronze palms the twist of delicate glass flowers—they have the same effect invite you to pause and wonder what changed when you were moving too fast to notice it MCASD will host Kelly Akashi for an artist talk on Jan. 18 Amelia Rodriguez is San Diego Magazine’s Associate Editor The winner of the San Diego Press Club's 2023 Rising Star Award and 2024 Best of Show Award and other national and regional publications you can find her hunting down San Diego’s best pastries and maintaining her three-year Duolingo streak By clicking subscribe you're confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions Email: [email protected] By clicking Subscribe you’re confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions Email: [email protected] © Copyright 2023 San Diego Magazine 1230 Columbia Street Akashi Blended Whisky from the Eigashima distillery is a wonderfully complex Japanese whisky made from a blend of malt and grain distillates offering great bang for buck all supported by a whisper of dried apricot The palate brings subtle peated smoke with a great concentration of flavor As of 2024, VinePair no longer participates in any affiliate programs. All links included in our content are as a convenience to our readers, not for earning commission — we receive no monetary value from them. Learn more about our tastings & review department here! Vehicle Engineering and Vehicle Program Management Nissan Technical Center North America (NTCNA) a position to which he was appointed in April 2015 Akashi is responsible for Research and Development Akashi joined Nissan in 1990 as Body Engineer Before being appointed to his current position Vehicle Development Planning Department at Nissan Technical Center Akashi has held various positions in vehicle development Akashi holds a master degree in aeronautical engineering from University of Tokyo CULTURED Editor-in-Chief Sarah Harrelson and Away Co-Founder and CEO Jen Rubio welcomed a cadre of guests to Harrelson’s Los Angeles home The luncheon convened prominent fixtures from the art world for an afternoon of cocktails and conversation in celebration of Frieze Week and Nikolai Haas plus Esther Kim Varet and Marfa Stance's Georgia Dant were spotted chatting with Vanity Fair writer Nate Freeman who all added to the lively hum of the afternoon's conversation and admirers alike from across the world in the heart of Los Angeles Rubio herself has had quite a meteoric rise within the art world. Currently the Whitney Museum’s youngest board member, the entrepreneur and her husband, Slack and Flickr co-founder Stewart Butterfield, made a $1 million donation upon joining that helped solidify the presence of Free Fridays at the New York institution. Akashi-Tai has secured a national grocery listing with Waitrose The partnership signals Akashi-Tai’s continued expansion in the UK and the growth of the sake category Akashi-Tai will be the exclusive sake available at Waitrose the UK imported around 2 million litres of sake highlighting its growing popularity alongside the rise of bars and Japanese restaurants in London Recent data from Waitrose shows a 241% year-on-year increase in searches for sake on its website including a 100% rise in plum sake searches (The Times This surge in interest aligns with forecasts from Fortune Business Insights predicting the global sake market will reach £8.71bn by 2026 John Vine, partner and spirits buyer at Waitrose said: “We’re delighted to bring Akashi-Tai to our shelves at Waitrose especially as customer demand continues to grow for artisan sake It’s the perfect tipple for enjoying on its own or pairing with food.” added: “We are thrilled to be entering into this partnership with Waitrose “This listing marks a significant milestone for Akashi-Tai allowing us to bring our premium sake to a greater audience We believe that Waitrose customers will appreciate the exceptional quality and craftsmanship of Akashi-Tai The versatility of our sake makes it perfect for all occasions offering something for everyone to enjoy.” Akashi-Tai Honjozo Tokubetsu Sake 72cl (£23 RRP) Akashi-Tai Junmai Sparkling Sake 30cl (£15 RRP) Akashi-Tai Umeshu Sake Liqueur 50cl (£21 RRP) Akashi-Tai’s sake is produced by an independent family-run brewery using Yamadanishiki rice and spring water from the Akashi region The beverage is made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran AWL announces creation of new global win... Robin Copestick joins Packamama board London Wine Fair announces line-up Gen Z shifts towards low & no alcohol am... Diageo GB announces new marketing and in... LWC and MDCV enter new on-trade partnership You can now view the latest Harpers supplement with our digital edition... View the Top 100 2024 competition results here.. Vergelegen – continuity and change on the Schapenberg Talking innovation and opening doors with LWC Koshu brings flavour of Japan to London Reh Kendermann: Sales Manager UK Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article Print Kelly Akashi gives new meaning to the phrase “learning by doing.” The Los Angeles-born artist was initially trained in photography but has since taken up candlemaking Her sculptures and photographs evoke tangled feelings about time these lofty themes are rooted not in philosophy or religion but in the process of making things — and the “conversations” with materials that result Akashi, 39, is enjoying her first museum retrospective at the San Jose Museum of Art then travels to the Frye Museum in Seattle and the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego.) Dressed casually in a brown T-shirt and jeans with large holes in the knees she is friendly and welcoming as she sits for a chat in her studio a converted garage in a quiet Altadena neighborhood On a large table to her right are two bright red sculptural pieces cast from her own body: an armless torso and an abdomen with legs dangling as if it has also just sat down for a break Akashi’s work often combines such casts with other natural or handmade objects mixing “fine art” materials like marble and bronze with “craft” media like glass or candles sprout hair or dangle perilously from ropes A bronze cast of her own hand presses lightly on a deflating glass globe or gingerly cradles a thorny thistle Candles that suggest body parts or mutant slugs curl across a shelf and transform as they burn Her photographs also employ unusual combinations of materials; for one series she used glass objects as “negatives” to create color images that resemble nebulae or blood cells Artist Kelly Akashi holds a work in progress (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times) Although her works might appear spontaneous Akashi says they are the cumulative result of many carefully considered decisions “I don’t tend to do a drawing of a finished form,” she says and then I want to see what that leads to.” She admits that sometimes the result is failure like a glass work that shatters or a piece that isn’t ready for prime time “You don’t know if it’s going to end up in a show or like Her eyes light up when she talks about her latest fascination: stone carving She describes how carvers are often attuned to what the stone is telling them “I realized I was projecting things into the stone and then it’s sort of showing me something in my own mind,” she says “That’s the kind of material conversation that gets me really excited to continue with a medium.” Moving outside to a concrete patio lined with tall bamboo pinkish stone about the size of a large baby physical limitations in stone carving that I need help with because I don’t have the physical strength,” she says “but I’m trying to bulk up so it doesn’t matter.” She notes that chiseling and sanding away at stone is a much slower process than working with other media “You obviously can’t really add something back so there’s a lot of looking that happens,” she says “Looking at it from different perspectives especially when you’re outside: different times of day different times of year that will reveal things that you didn’t see last month or the year before.” She carries the pink baby over to a garden hose and sprays it with water This respect for the process reflects her faith in craft traditions: strains of knowledge passed from one generation to the next through conversation She studied photography at Otis College of Art and Design and received her master of fine arts from USC but didn’t learn other craft techniques until later when her mother taught her to make candles “That was the first time I really entered a way of making where I was consciously thinking about the fact that it was an oral history,” she says She also enrolled in a glassblowing class at Santa Monica College “There’s things you learn from seeing somebody work that they could never explain,” she says This kind of intergenerational transmission took on new significance in June 2020 — the early days of the pandemic — when Akashi began making trips to Poston where her Japanese American father was incarcerated with his family during World War II a weird time to be in that region because everything was shut down but “that gave me the time to maybe have the slowness to work with these topics and these locations.” She began by photographing the mostly barren site thinking about the passage of time on a larger scale which were likely planted by Japanese American prisoners who were farmers and knew how to coax life from the desert the site became maybe this connective tissue,” she says “Geological time is so vast that when my father was there Making this connection was especially important because Akashi’s grandparents and father didn’t speak much about their wartime experiences and had passed away before she began the project She does have some family photographs taken in the camp She selected several of these to reproduce in the exhibition catalog alongside images shot during her visits Tree branches and pine cones from Poston have also found their way into her sculptural work as bronze casts witnesses to the incarceration and the decades that have unspooled since “I’ve been thinking a lot about mystery,” she says “and how to keep space for that.” Perhaps personal histories left untold are not unlike conversations with stone that only reveal themselves over time “The memories of people before us are kind of embedded in our tissue,” she says adding that you might think “you have no access to those people they are a part of you or you are hearing them.” Where: San Jose Museum of Art, 110 South Market Street, San José, CA. When: Thursdays 4–9pm, Fridays 11am–9pm, Saturdays and Sundays 11am–6pm. Closed Mondays-Wednesdays. Through May 21, 2023.Cost: $8-$10Info: (408) 271-6840, www.sjmusart.org World & Nation Entertainment & Arts Hollywood Inc. Television Music Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map "Kelly Akashi: Formations" opens this week at Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) in La Jolla It's the first major touring exhibition of Akashi's work and is organized by the San Jose Museum of Art and curator Lauren Schell Dickens it continues a streak of significant presentations of work by women at MCASD "It's the fourth special exhibition to be held in our La Jolla campus since we reopened and it's the fourth monogram exhibition of important women artists," said Kathryn Kanjo Akashi is a Los Angeles-based artist who works with a variety of materials each forming their own through line of sorts across the exhibit: bronze castings her work is grounded in memory and inheritance "Time is a central theme in Akashi's work," said Jill Dawsey "She works with impressionable or malleable materials that carry traces of their process." The first work you see when entering the exhibit is a tree-like sculpture It's called "Conjoined Tumbleweeds," and is a recreated tumbleweed she found in Poston Akashi visited the camp herself and created a series of works about Poston Being in Poston was a crucial intersection of her art's connection with her family's history and with time "10 million years ago wasn't that long ago A human's life is often short compared to a tree's life Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla700 Prospect St. rammed-earth pedestals (which are striking works of art themselves) rest collections of small sculptures including bronze-cast branches modeled after trees on site that she believes were also there during the internment a crowded display of blown glass vessels represents ideas of motherhood and portals — the works look like female torsos Against the branches and weeds in her work Above the glass mothers hangs a delicate quartz bell but its low frequency is felt in the listener's body Everything we do to it sort of sticks," Akashi said So each piece of art made from glass is a record of everything that was done to the material Akashi's photography also includes chromogenic crystallographs where she grew crystals on film before taking samples to the dark room The colorful works underline the importance of geology and the earth's profound processes in the exhibit "I think about time as a force that we're all beholden to and the way time materializes has always been fascinating to me whether it's been something that's materialized on me or in my flesh let's say I say that broadly and by that I mean geological bodies spiraling glass and ropes seem more like a retro specimen lab than an art gallery — but there's so much beauty delicacy and an at-times unnerving intimacy One of the most striking works in the show is the almost tomb-like "Long Exposure." In one room lies a cast of her own body carved into travertine stone The title references the photographic idea of vision beyond human sight Note: pay attention to Akashi's titles for thoughtful and often cheeky spins on her work's profound meanings — including "Eat Me," a vulva-like cast of a dehydrated onion and "Well Hung," a collection of her bronze-cast hands The exhibit is on view through mid-February and MCASD is partnering with Pacific Arts Movement and the San Diego Asian Film Festival for programming throughout the run Please view the main text area of the page by skipping the main menu. The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser Japanese version Alec Nakashima always had a passion for fashion and his cousins printed their own T-shirts and had liked creating their own clothes So it makes perfect sense that years later a streetwear brand with designs clearly influenced by the Japanese aesthetic and blends his love for fashion with his Japanese background something we could wear day to day; taking cues from things that I saw in my grandparents’ closets growing up but that would fit someone who grew up wearing Jordans,” Nakashima said Nakashima pinpoints the origins of Akashi-Kama to the homeland itself having found inspiration while on a trip to Japan in 2018 with the Kakehashi Program coordinated by the Japanese American Citizens League and the Japan International Cooperation Center sends young Japanese Americans on all-expense paid trips to Japan to foster relations between Japan and the United States through “mutual trust and understanding” and to “promote a global understanding” of Japanese society and history that I wasn’t ‘Japanese Japanese.’ It very much still feels like you’re in a foreign country there are certain things that feel familiar,” Nakashima said “[The trip] kind of pulls up random spots that you have The trip was Nakashima’s first time traveling to Japan which he said contributed to the gravity of its impact on his perspective of culture and identity “I think it was a really strong one-two punch in terms of cultural impact for me,” Nakashima said about Japanese American identity and feeling kind of between two worlds growing up … ‘Am I fully Japanese Am I fully American?,’ and not really understanding that I can be both.” that is “really the inspiration” behind what would eventually manifest itself in Akashi-Kama Akashi-Kama creates “Modern products designed and influenced by 日系人,” or nikkeijin a Japanese word that refers to people who are Japanese by ethnicity that have emigrated to other countries It’s a fitting word to describe the experience of many Asian Americans who grow up with the challenge of distinguishing two separate cultures within themselves “There’s a certain imposter syndrome sometimes being Asian American I know so many Asians who are more Asian than me,’” Nakashima said “My hope is that our brand can kind of be something that is subtle but still authentic in my experience as an American.” The brand, which operates solely as an online retailer, has accumulated over 15,000 Instagram followers and ships their products internationally. Their Spring 22 collection, released March 11, sold out of multiple pieces within two weeks, and their Fall/Winter 2022 collection Akashi-Kama sells typical streetwear items like T-shirts, hoodies and sweaters, but prides itself on its “hero piece:” the Noragi jacket. Inspired by noragi, a type of historical Japanese workwear for field laborers, Akashi-Kama’s rendition consists of a unisex-style jacket in traditional Japanese colors, with tapered sleeves reminiscent of a modern American blazer. “We’re blending a traditional Japanese piece with a little more modern twist,” said Nakashima’s brother, Davis, who contributes to the brand on the side of his regular job through modeling and creative design. “Being able to represent Japanese Americans and the complexity or identity of that into clothing has been so empowering.” The Noragi jacket has put Akashi-Kama on the map, earning accolades from GQ and Valet Mag, but for Nakashima, the most meaningful feedback he’s received is that from the community in which the jacket was inspired by. “We’ve gotten emails that are like, just a Japanese American person out in Illinois or something, who is like, ‘Wow, I didn’t even know I wanted this. This means a lot to me,’” Nakashima said. “That, to me, is as much validation as any publication, because that’s the perspective that I was designing it with.” Yet, Akashi-Kama is in no way a company exclusively for Japanese American consumers. Their vision, as stated on their website, is “Inspired by Japanese-Americans. Created for Everyone.” “I just love that our brand can hopefully mean the same to someone who’s Japanese American or Asian American and not. That’s the end goal, that our brand is [bridging] that gap.” Nakashima said. “Can I really wear something like this, or can I really come off as this, or do I deserve this? And the answer is yes.” Facebook pageTwitter feedRSS feeduscannenbergmedia.com © 2025 USC Annenberg Media