Los Angeles-based artist Rob Sato creates a sense of twisted nostalgia in viewers with his grotesque yet quietly beautiful watercolor paintings. In them, Sato intertwines the mechanical and organic elements that characterize his stark images of decay. These scenes—along with their historical influences—explore how old technology remains buried in the collective consciousness long after the objects themselves are gone. In 2005, Sato self-published his graphic novel, Burying Sandwiches, with the help of a Xeric Grant. Since then, he has continued to work and exhibit across the country, most recently in a two person show at Giant Robot 2 in Los Angeles.

Deth P. Sun is a painter and illustrator currently living in Berkeley, CA. A visual storyteller inspired by the places he visits, Sun’s pieces send his characters on endless adventures through dangerous and foreign lands. Since graduating from the California College of Arts and Crafts in 2002, he has published several zines, including his recent alphabet collection entitled I See All. He exhibits 10-12 times a year throughout the U.S. and abroad, from Giant Robot in Los Angeles to New York. Additional illustrations of his can be found at Urban Outfitters, Poketo, The LA Weekly, and Nylon Magazine.

Ako Castuera is a painter, sculptor, and textile artist based in Los Angeles. Her latest pieces, primarily colorful watercolors and wild clay sculptures, draw inspiration from the relationship between humans and their environment. While working as a storyboard artist for the hit animated show Adventure Time, she developed her first solo exhibition—“They Are Us”—for Giant Robot 2 in April 2012. Her work has also been shown at Rowan Morrison Gallery in Oakland and Space 1026 in Philadelphia.

Eishi Takaoka is well known for his distinctive painted wooden heads that sit atop empty glass medicine bottles. Their outwardly serene expressions create the impression of eerie similarity, only belied by the colorful growths sprouting from their heads that give each a unique personality. For this collection, Takaoka draws inspiration from life in his hometown of Kagoshima, and the relationship between humans and nature. He has participated in both group and solo exhibits with Giant Robot, from Los Angeles to New York. In 2005, one of his pieces was featured on the cover of popular novelist Haruki Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore.

Although raised in heavily urbanized Taiwan and currently working in Los Angeles, mixed media artist Sean Chao’s work is influenced by nature and the creatures that populate it. Drawing inspiration from his daily experiences, he creates narratives ranging from simple slice-of-life interactions to the more absurd. His dioramas combine the organic and mechanical elements of his environment to show moments frozen in time, yet full of movement. He has recently exhibited at Giant Robot’s Game Over and Disney’s WonderGround Gallery grand opening.

Saelee Oh is an illustrator currently living and working in Los Angeles. Her work primarily consists of drawings, paintings, and cut paper, as well as the occasional sculptural installation and stop-motion animation. Oh weaves a loose narrative with her work, creating settings and characters to explore how everything is connected. Her delicate and cheerful pieces often feature nature and dreamlike scenarios through a lens of female empowerment. After graduating with an Illustration degree in 2003 from the Art Center College of Design, she has exhibited in galleries across the US, as well as in the UK and Japan.

New York City-based conceptual designer Zach Gage creates art that represent humanity’s gradual transition into the digital space. Through interaction with the viewer, the pieces take data and translate it into digital art—like a picture that deletes part of itself with every view. His work forces the viewer to consider the increasingly narrow divide between the digital and physical worlds within his or her own life. While deceptively simple, Gage shows the use and inherent value of data in both worlds. Currently, he creates indie games for Apple’s iOS platform. Gage’s work has shown internationally, from the Museum of Modern Art in New York to the Venice Biennale, as well as in several printed and online publications.

Los Angeles-based artist Albert Reyes has a distinctive style inspired by the juxtaposition of pop culture and classical high art. After graduating from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2001, his works have run the gamut from illustrations on recycled hardcover book covers to an elaborate maze built annually behind his house in El Sereno, CA. Reyes often incorporates real world elements in his work, with topics ranging from Hollywood icons to consumerism. His work has shown across the world, appearing in galleries from Paris to the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles. Reyes has appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live and CNN.

Painter and Kanazawa native Masakatsu Sashie is best known for his distinctive “orb paintings,” featuring large floating spheres covered in both Showa-era signage and remnants of modern culture. These self-contained cities, modeled after the town he grew up in, show a sense of nostalgia for the past amid their destroyed, apocalyptic surroundings. Sashie’s work rose to prominence in 2005 after being featured in Tokyo’s Geisai Art Show. In 2008, he made his North American debut with a solo show at Giant Robot 2 in Los Angeles. His work continues to spread across the globe, with pieces appearing in New York’s The Armory Show, and the 2011 Hong Kong International Art Fair.

David Horvath’s line of stuffed Uglydolls was born in 2001 from a simple drawing on a letter to his wife, fellow Parsons School for Design alumni Sun-Min Kim. From the very first batch sold at Giant Robot in Los Angeles, the plushes were a runaway success—with both children and adults. Their clean and unique design combines the best of both indie pop culture and the plush toy world. Horvath sees his creatures as empowering, meant to celebrate individuality and the benefits of being different. In 2006, the Toy Industry Association named Uglydoll the Specialty Toy of the Year. The company continues to flourish today with a line of vinyl figures, shelf space in over 2,500 stores, and plans to expand internationally.