Hyundai Motor and Whitney Museum Unveil Kelly Akashi Commission for 2026 Biennial
Hyundai and the Whitney Museum unveiled a site-specific installation by Kelly Akashi on the museum's terrace as part of the 2026 Whitney Biennial.
10 years
3rd
82nd
What Happened
Anchoring the presentation is Monument (Altadena) (2026), a chimney and walkway installation that serves as both reconstruction and memorial after the artist's home and studio burned in the Eaton Fire in January 2025. The work transforms the Whitney's outdoor gallery into a meditation on survival and the fragile permanence of what remains.
Hyundai Motor and the Whitney Museum establish a 10-year partnership.
Hyundai Terrace Commission: Kelly Akashi is announced.
The commission is on view as part of Whitney Biennial 2026.
“The act of rebuilding is not simply about material endurance; it is a deliberate labor of care, an engagement with history, and an act of reclamation. In laying each brick, my sculpture mirrors the gestures of memory itself, emphasizing that remembrance is not given, it is constructed through care and persistence.”
Why this matters
This marks the third Hyundai Terrace Commission under a 10-year partnership between the automaker and the Whitney, highlighting Hyundai's commitment to supporting contemporary art.
Terms in This Story
- Whitney Biennial
- A major survey of contemporary American art presented every two years at the Whitney Museum of American Art.
- site-specific
- An artwork created to exist in a particular location, taking the setting into account in its design.
- Cor-Ten steel
- A weathering steel that develops a stable rust-like appearance when exposed to the elements.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.