KELLY AKASHI

Akashi, who was born in Los Angeles in 1983 and is still based there, has said that her work takes up the relationship between humanity and nature, often invoking scientific inquiries in the process. “My work is often about encouraging people to look at things in broader, less human-centric perspectives . . . It’s not about forgetting about humans entirely, but considering where humans fit in a much bigger system.”

She is best known for sculptures in which hands palm biota and fingers are twined with what appear to be branches. Yet her work has also taken other forms, including photography, the medium in which she was trained as an art student.