Kohshin Finley’s Outdoor Sculpture at Frieze Los Angeles 2026
Los Angeles-based artist Kohshin Finley will debut a new public sculpture at Frieze Los Angeles, running from February 26 through March 1, 2026, on the Santa Monica Airport campus. The installation is part of “Body & Soul,” a public art program curated by Art Production Fund.
A Dialogue with the Earth
Finley’s commissioned function, titled “…and someone was playing the piano, right?” (2026), features a series of large-scale stoneware vessels displayed within shadow box shelving. The outdoor installation is designed to be viewed from multiple perspectives. Finley noted the shift in mindset required when presenting art outdoors compared to a gallery setting, emphasizing the need to consider public interaction with the piece. “You have to worry about the logistics of people coming up to it and touching it,” he explained. “This thing is going to be open to people on the street day and night.”
Adapting to the Environment
The artist’s awareness of the surrounding atmosphere shaped the scale and structure of the sculpture, ensuring it could withstand the elements and remain prominent in a public space. Finley views adapting his art to its environment as a crucial part of the creative process, an opportunity to expand how his work exists in the world.
A Hometown Showcase
As a Los Angeles native and a graduate of Otis College of Art and Design, Finley expressed the personal significance of exhibiting his work in his hometown. He stated, “Ever since I graduated long ago from Otis College of Art and Design, my goal was to always present here in L.A.” He appreciates the opportunity to share his vision with the community that has supported him.
From Painting to Clay
Even as Finley is recognized for his figure painting, his exploration of clay began during the pandemic. Encouraged by his wife, he took a ceramics class, initially hesitant due to his established career in painting. He found a unique connection in working with clay, describing it as “something so special about the feeling of getting a ball of clay, making a bowl and collaborating with the earth and nature that’s in this ball of clay to make something new.” Over the past six years, he has immersed himself in the material, studying its history and exploring its potential.
Ceramics as Heritage
Finley, as a Black and Mexican artist, views ceramics as an inherited practice, recognizing the deep histories of earthwork within both sides of his heritage. He acknowledges the continuity embedded in the ceramic process, noting that “Thousands of years of ceramics are still made in the same way.”
Community Engagement
“…and someone was playing the piano, right?” marks Finley’s third presentation at Frieze Los Angeles and his first outdoor installation at the fair. He is particularly interested in how audiences unfamiliar with art events will respond to his work. The “Body & Soul” program aims to bridge this gap by placing major commissions in accessible public spaces. Finley anticipates “some real communal magic” during Frieze week and is eager to observe how the community interacts with and responds to his sculpture.
Frieze Los Angeles 2026, in partnership with Art Production Fund, will feature works by Finley and other Los Angeles-based artists including Dan John Anderson, Polly Borland, Cosmas & Damian Brown, Shana Hoehn, and Amanda Ross-Ho.