Joanna Wallace Cuervo
Recognition
2026 Psychedelics Design Winner
Best in Class Experimental
About Experimental
This category highlights boundary-pushing projects that don’t fit elsewhere, including concepts and prototypes that challenge norms and spark imagination. Have an innovative idea? Submit your presentation to share!
Credits
Title: Arkana
Company: solo practice
Entrant: Joanna Wallace Cuervo
Design Team: Joanna W. Cuervo
Description
Nova Arkana is a living oracle made of food. Its name joins arcana, the hidden knowledge of the tarot, with the supernova, the birth of a star. Visitors draw a card from the Nova Arkana deck and eat directly from the oracle. Each card stands for a different state of being, received through taste and felt in the body. Every element is organic, plant-based and made to be eaten, so the installation disappears as people experience it. What remains is what they shared.
About Joanna W. Cuervo
Joanna W. Cuervois a Barcelona-born, Los Angeles-based artist and chef. Through her practice, Kometa, she builds temporary edible ecosystems where strangers gather, eat and linger. Her work draws on sobremesa, the Spanish custom of staying at the table long after the meal ends. Her installation Unearthed at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles was named Favorite Art Experience of the Year by LA Magazine in 2025.
