Edwin Salas Acosta is a Mexican-Costa Rican artist whose work spans puppetry, theater, dance, visual arts, and multimedia. For over two decades, he has used puppetry as a medium to explore challenging themes, from the personal to the political, creating immersive worlds that encourage audiences to confront darker aspects of life with reflection and often humor. Salas’s move to Asheville in 2017 marked his foray into visual arts, blending dark humor with horror-pop themes in his project "My Happy Dark Place". In 2022, Salas received a grant from Asheville’s "Art in the Heart" initiative, which enabled him to create a public installation—a 12-foot obelisk representing the ancient Vance Monument. Recent accolades include the Dream Fund award from AIGA AVL and the McCullough Fellowship, supporting his VR project "The Last Tree of the Forest and the Plastic Bottle" in collaboration with the Asheville Art Museum, UNCA’s New Media department, and the McCullough Institute. His installation, running from Sept 2024 to Jan 2025 at the Asheville Art Museum, explores environmental themes through VR. At 50, Edwin Salas Acosta continues to innovate, blending puppetry, toy art, performance, and multimedia into thought-provoking projects that engage both national and international audiences. His ongoing education and collaborations underscore his commitment to exploring new artistic avenues, inspiring others with his dedication to storytelling, creativity, and social consciousness.
