Artwork: Kelly Akashi, Vesica Piscis, 2022
Kelly Akashi’s art is exquisite, and it’s wonderful to see it currently showcased in an exhibition in Venice at the newly opened Barbati Gallery titled Life Forms. I’ve written two art stories on her work, and the pieces featured in this exhibition express much of what fascinates me about her art: the passage and ephemerality of time; the use of alchemical processes such as glass blowing and wax casting; the transformation of materials and forms; the melding of human, plant and animal worlds; the insertion of her own body, often hands, symbolising the act of creation and the continual creating of the self through this very act; a tension between fragility and a sense of loss, and ultimately the mysterious and intangible quality of her artwork.