Kelly Akashi's Glass Chimney Memorializes 2025 LA Wildfire Loss at Whitney Biennial
Kelly Akashi presents 'Monument (Altadena),' a 13-foot transparent glass chimney and walkway on the Whitney Museum's Hyundai Terrace for the 2026 Whitney Biennial. The installation responds to the destruction of her Altadena home during the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, which burned 57,000 acres and destroyed over 16,000 structures. Akashi evacuated on January 7, 2025, returning to find only a brick chimney. Collaborating with mason Christian Inga, she reconstructed this element using clear glass bricks. Akashi's statement describes the sculpture as mirroring 'the gestures of memory itself.' The biennial runs from March 8 to August 23, 2026, featuring 56 artists and including Akashi's works on paper and outdoor-screen animation.
Key facts
- Kelly Akashi's home and studio in Altadena were destroyed in the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires
- She evacuated on January 7, 2025, saving her cat and few keepsakes
- The wildfires burned 57,000 acres and destroyed over 16,000 structures
- Her installation 'Monument (Altadena)' is a 13-foot glass chimney and walkway on the Whitney's Hyundai Terrace
- The work was created in collaboration with mason Christian Inga
- The 2026 Whitney Biennial runs from March 8 to August 23, 2026, featuring 56 artists
- Akashi also presents 'Inheritance (Distressed),' a Cor-Ten steel piece based on a lost family doily
- The biennial operates without a comprehensive theme but engages relationality and geopolitical frameworks
Entities
Artists
- Kelly Akashi
- Christian Inga
- Timothy Schenck
Institutions
- Whitney Museum of American Art
- Whitney Biennial
- Lisson Gallery
- Hyundai
- Art Basel
- Whitney Museum
- Venice Biennale
Locations
- Altadena
- Los Angeles
- United States
- New York
- New York City
- 99 Gansevoort St
- Pacific Palisades
- Hudson Valley
- Meatpacking District
Sources
- My Modern Met —
- Dezeen —