My Happy Dark Place is a visual art project where Edwin Salas blends the dark humor of Mexico with horror pop art. Edwin began his adventure in toy art when he arrived in the United States in 2017. As a child growing up in Costa Rica, he did not have access to toys and relied on his imagination for play. As an adult, he works to fill this gap by using his creativity to invent toy art inspired by the pop culture of the many countries he has lived in throughout his life.

Edwin has developed several toy lines, including “Salas Wars”, “Saddest Children of the Forest”, “Horror Figures”, and “Mexican Bootlegs”. In a world dominated by plastic, he uses his background as a puppeteer to sculpt toys from wood. His creations have been featured by DKE Toys at Comicons across the United States. He has also exhibited his work at galleries such as La Luz de Jesus in Hollywood, Galería F in Chicago, and Horse Hero in Asheville, with his primary sales location being Marquee Asheville.

In 2022, the City of Asheville, through the Art in the Heart project, awarded Edwin a grant to create a 12-foot by 4-foot obelisk inspired by the historic Vance Monument. The obelisk was transformed into colorful, geometric wooden blocks that the public could use to build fantastical new shapes.

In 2023, Edwin earned an Associate in Arts degree with honors from ABTech Community College. In July, he taught a course on Political Art with Puppets at the University of Maryland as part of the 66th Puppeteers of America conference. In December, he received the Dream Fund from AIGA AVL.

In April 2024, Edwin was named a McCullough Fellow, enabling him to create a virtual reality project in collaboration with the Asheville Art Museum and the Department of New Media at UNCA. His VR installation, The Last Tree of the Forest and the Plastic Bottle, will be showcased at the Asheville Art Museum from September 2024 to January 2025.

Currently, Edwin is also producing the show Alice’s Smile in collaboration with the UNCA Drama Department. At the same time, he continues creating his art toys, block prints, interactive media, and puppetry, all while thriving as a full-time student at the age of 50.