Unemployed Mascots

AlterWork Studios is pleased to present an exhibition by Artist in Residence Angelique De Castro, “Unemployed Mascots”.

Opening Reception: Saturday, August 15, 2026 | doors open at 5PM (screening starts at 6PM)
This exhibition is on view everyday from 12PM-9PM from 8/15/26 until 8/30/26.

Unemployed Mascots is a solo exhibition and animated short film premiere. Through sculpture and 3D animation, it asks the question: what happens when corporate mascots are fired from their job? The film follows Bee Jolli and Waruchan’s journey to self-rediscovery as they wander through a maze with an aspiring model and an Ikkea store manager. Guided by Philippine mythological figures, they encounter symbols of their desires and confront a gothic nemesis with a chip on his shoulder.

Anchored by physical media, the installation utilizes figurative ceramic sculpture to evoke mythmaking of the past and present. What are our modern mythologies? What relationships do they represent for us and with whom? Unemployed Mascots puts Philippine mythology and contemporary mythologies in the form of corporate mascots in direct dialogue to address our relationships with capitalism, identity, and community.

AlterWork Studios is located on the Ground Floor of 40-20 22nd Street, Long Island City, NY 11101. We are located on the west side of 22nd street between 40th and 41st avenues. When arriving, use the black touch screen to the left of the door to ring for AlterWork Studios in the Directory. Once inside, the studio is located down the stairs on the left.

Angelique De Castro is a self-taught interdisciplinary artist based in occupied Lenapehoking / Brooklyn, NY. Engaging in fiber art, figurative sculpture, 3d animation, and new media, their practice interrogates the use of contemporary and ancestral mythologies through a queer diasporic lens to critique soft power and corporate imperialism. Their work builds a language inspired by Philippine symbols, labor politics, and pop culture into digital and physical forms, layering multiple modes of production as an homage to their artistic ancestry and counterculture media.

They have exhibited domestically and internationally with Ankhlave, BEVERLY’S, WhiteBox, SaveArtSpace, Galerie Shibumi, Ki Smith Gallery, and the Asian American Art Alliance. Their work has been curated by The Here and There Collective, Yarrow Slaps, Darlene Deloris, and Naomi Basu. They were artist-in-residence at the Asian American Art Alliance (2020), Ankhlave Art Alliance (2025), and Glen Arbor Arts Center (2026). Their work has been mentioned in The New York Times, Logic(s), INES_Magazina, and featured in Google Arts and Culture.

Website: angeliquedecastro.com
Email: angeliquedecastro@proton.me
IG: @angeliquedecastro_