James Akers

James Akers treats neon as a sculptural material rather than a sign-making one. He builds from light, glass, and modified consumer circuits, making objects that produce sound, play video, and scan objects. He co-runs Nebula Neon, a Brooklyn fabrication studio, with partner Ali Feeney. The commercial work and the art inform each other.

James Akers treats neon as a sculptural material rather than a sign-making one: he bends glass, modifies consumer circuits, and makes objects that produce sound, play video, and scan their surroundings. He treats neon as sculptural material—its three-dimensional, shapeable linear glow appeals to him as both screen-like and tactile. He modifies consumer electrical circuits and integrates them into pieces, making objects that produce sound, play video, or scan objects. With his partner Ali Feeney, he runs Nebula Neon, a custom neon fabrication business started in 2020. His artistic neon and commercial work exist in symbiosis—the jobs finance and inform each other technically and conceptually. He is drawn to "the wrong way" of doing things; he loves visible marks and the evidence of human action, employing a "show your work" philosophy. Artistically, he explores surveillance, influence, consumerism, advertisement, celebration, and subversion.