Meet Akina Cox | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Akina Cox and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Akina, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
Over the years I’ve gotten more interested in examining my own carbon footprint. I’ve been shying away from using artificial pigments that rely on the petroleum industry, and instead have focused more on ochres, which are essentially just dirt. I’ve been mixing my paints myself, with beeswax from a family member’s bee hive. I’ve also been working with recycled paper, which I dye with tea and rust. A lot of my inspiration comes from my historical research, but I’ve found that I really like using materials that have a mind of their own.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My work is about learning to identify with the enemy. The people I was taught to fear–artists and the queer community–were not so scary after all, and were fighting for me before I knew I needed their help. I’m also thinking about the stories I was told as a child, and how I grew up and started seeing them in a different light. In my paintings, I’m rethinking the tales that our culture is based on–everything from Goliath to Medusa. The current political climate only provides more proof of the value our society still places on stories that tell us where we came from and who we are. I have found that by investigating these stories, dismantling them and examining the pieces, they shed light on new possibilities for the future.
I explore these ideas in my work on view right now in the show “What If The Matriarchy Was Here All Along,” at the Altadena Library. I wrote a piece of fiction to go along with my paintings, and I will do a reading at 2pm on December 17th, with the musician Mary Lattimore playing live accompaniment on the piano.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love so many things about my neighborhood, but especially Christmas Tree Lane. If you go during the day, stop by the Altadena Library and look at their zine collection!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I grew up in a cult, but I was allowed to go to the local library. I ended up going daily, sometimes more than that. The librarians kept my card on the checkout counter for easy access. I read everything from picture books (I said they were for my little brother, but that was really an excuse–I loved the illustrations), biographies, thrillers, mysteries, romance, and classics. I particularly loved Nancy Drew. I don’t know where I would be without the library, or the librarians that looked after me. They gave me the tools I needed to build a new life for myself.

Website: www.akinacox.com

Instagram: @akinacox