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Kelly Akashi — Life Forms (Cranberry Helix)
Kelly Akashi

Life Forms (Cranberry Helix)

2018

Kelly Akashi's "Life Forms (Cranberry Helix)" presents a slender, vertical composition in which blown glass and bronze coil together in an upward spiral, evoking the structural logic of living organisms at the threshold of visibility. The deep cranberry glass catches and refracts light with an almost biological warmth, while delicate bronze wire winds through and around the form, suggesting tendril growth, cellular replication, or the slow mineral accretion one associates with geological time. At just over a meter tall, the work commands intimate attention, rewarding the viewer who lingers with shifting colors and shadows as the piece is approached from different angles. Akashi is known for her sustained inquiry into the boundaries between the organic and the fabricated, and this 2018 work sits at the heart of that practice. The pairing of molten glass with cast and drawn bronze reflects her long-standing engagement with craft traditions that carry the legible trace of the hand and body. The helix form here is neither purely decorative nor strictly scientific in its reference; it occupies a poetic middle ground where biological form becomes sculptural language, suggesting heredity, mutation, and the elegance of natural systems without resolving into direct illustration. Dated to a particularly productive period in Akashi's development before her wider institutional recognition, "Life Forms (Cranberry Helix)" represents a strong acquisition opportunity for collectors drawn to sculpture that bridges material rigor with conceptual depth. The signed work is in excellent condition, and its modest footprint makes it a versatile addition to both residential and institutional collections seeking art that rewards sustained engagement over time.

Medium
Blown glass, bronze, bronze wire
Overall
Signed
Yes

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About this work

Kelly Akashi, Life Forms (Cranberry Helix), 2018

Kelly Akashi's "Life Forms (Cranberry Helix)" presents a slender, vertical composition in which blown glass and bronze coil together in an upward spiral, evoking the structural logic of living organisms at the threshold of visibility. The deep cranberry glass catches and refracts light with an almost biological warmth, while delicate bronze wire winds through and around the form, suggesting tendril growth, cellular replication, or the slow mineral accretion one associates with geological time. At just over a meter tall, the work commands intimate attention, rewarding the viewer who lingers with shifting colors and shadows as the piece is approached from different angles. Akashi is known for her sustained inquiry into the boundaries between the organic and the fabricated, and this 2018 work sits at the heart of that practice. The pairing of molten glass with cast and drawn bronze reflects her long-standing engagement with craft traditions that carry the legible trace of the hand and body. The helix form here is neither purely decorative nor strictly scientific in its reference; it occupies a poetic middle ground where biological form becomes sculptural language, suggesting heredity, mutation, and the elegance of natural systems without resolving into direct illustration. Dated to a particularly productive period in Akashi's development before her wider institutional recognition, "Life Forms (Cranberry Helix)" represents a strong acquisition opportunity for collectors drawn to sculpture that bridges material rigor with conceptual depth. The signed work is in excellent condition, and its modest footprint makes it a versatile addition to both residential and institutional collections seeking art that rewards sustained engagement over time.

Medium
Blown glass, bronze, bronze wire
Dimensions
overall: 114.5 x 40.5 x 18 cm
Year
2018
Signed
Hand-signed by the artist
Seen at
X Museum

Related themes

Mohn Art Collective

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