Spotlight Artist

Gabino A. Castelán

South
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The Sweeper and Fruit Vendor Meeting the Ghost of Berta Caceres...Her Ghost is Staring at Us

Surreal hallway scene with a man sweeping and a child standing in the distance.

mixed-media and colored pencil on cotton paper

The Dream of Ometecuhtli

Colorful abstract artwork featuring a blue figure in a surreal, geometric room with bold patterns.

mixed-media and acrylic paint on canvas

The Dream of Omecihautl

Colorful abstract hallway scene with pink figure, green plant, and geometric designs.

mixed-media and acrylic paint on canvas

Featured in New American Paintings1 / 3

Artist Statement

 My paintings and works on paper depict figures in colorful, geometric architectural spaces undergoing the conflicts and desires of the human experience. I explore material and mark making to generate nonlinear dreamscape narratives that provoke perception while challenging the grand narrative tradition. My work oscillates between themes of presence and absence, fact and fantasy, and reason and madness.

Drawing on autobiographical memories, literature, and art history, my artwork is rife with symbolism, ranging from fetish and landscape imagery to Mesoamerican iconography. Combining representation and abstraction with a process of layering drawing, painting, and collage, I create fragmented compositions inspired by the dynamic environments in which I live.

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