Gabino A. Castelan

Gabino A. Castelán (b.1986, Epatlán, Puebla, México) lives and works in Florida and New York. He received an MFA (2017) and a BFA (2012) from Hunter College. Castelán’s paintings and
works on paper depict figures in colorful geometric architectural spaces
undergoing the conflicts and desires of the human experience. He explores
material and mark-making to generate nonlinear dreamscape narratives that
provoke perception while challenging conventions of tridimensional illusion. Castelán’s work oscillates between themes of presence and
absence, fact and fantasy, reason and madness. Drawing on personal stories,
literature, and art history, his 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, Castelán creates fragmented compositions inspired by the dynamic
environments where he lives.

Selected group exhibitions include “Slowly Arriving” (2021) Kunsthaus Baselland, Basel, Switzerland; “Bronx Calling: The Fifth AIM Biennial” (2021) The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, New York; and “BoriMex: Arráncame la Vida” (2017) The Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center, New York, New York. Castelán received the Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant (2021); the Christoph Merian Stiftung/Zaeslin-Bustany Scholarship (2020); previous residencies include Atelier Mondial (2020); the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (2019); and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (2014).