sculpture
Ako Castuera’s sculptural work is deeply informed by the diverse cultural and environmental features of Southern California, on Tongva Land, where she was born and currently lives. The shapes and surfaces in her work recall plants, animals, and the broad miscellany of a world in which human life is neither separate nor hierarchically ordered in opposition to nature. Ako’s sculptural work is a material exploration which draws on mythmaking to give body to personal and global histories, incorporating a variety of mediums including locally gathered and commercial clay, neighborhood yard trimmings, compost, yarn, and living worms.
Ako’s practice includes teaching workshops on storytelling, local clay and compost. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and museums in the US. She maintains a concurrent career in animation, most recently as an episode director on City of Ghosts, an animated show exploring historic communities of Los Angeles in the midst of rapid change. She is also known for her work as a writer/storyboard artist on the television show Adventure Time.