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Featured in the recent Hall of Winners exhibit in Altos de Chavón (sadly no longer on display), Altos de Chavón alumni Gabriel Castillo creates realistic art with a touch of surrealism in every brushstroke. We spoke to him about his unique style, as well as his experiences at the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design.
In continuation of our “Chavoneros Stories” series, today we present Gabriel Castillo, a young artist that excels at creating art that seems to mirror our own reality while dousing it in a coating of the surreal. He takes firm stands on the future of art, especially within his native country, the Dominican Republic. This is Gabriel Castillo, and we had a few questions to ask him – this is what he had to say.
@cdcliving: When did you first come to Altos de Chavón and why did you decide to study here?
I came to the Altos de Chavón School of Design by invitation from rector Steven Kaplan from the National School of Visual Arts (NSVA) in which I was enrolled at the time. He invited us to a workshop being given by Dominican artist Julio Valdez, so as to create a closer connection between the two schools. The workshop lasted a week, and that week was enough to make me fall in love with the place and realize that Altos de Chavón was my next destination in life. Without another thought, I made my portfolio and applied for a scholarship.
@cdcliving: How would you describe your experience in the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design?
That question always makes me fall silent, and everything I experienced in the School flashes through my head. I’ll always remember when my teacher, Angelo Valenzuela, looked at my portfolio and said in a firm and extroverted manner, CHAVÓN WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE! That being something I didn’t truly understand until I started taking classes and experienced it all firsthand. The Altos de Chavón School of Design is a very intense and transformative experience.
@cdcliving: What is your biggest inspiration in your artwork?
In a more general sense, I’m inspired by human beings, by life itself, especially by my culture and roots.
@cdcliving: What artist do you most admire and identify yourself with?
That question is always very difficult for me when you love art, because your taste crosses all boundaries, and you become a different person, with an appreciation for the well-made, regardless of what type of art it actually is. But, if I’ve got to name some, I truly admire Alexander Jodorowsky, Moebius and Joaquín Sorolla.
@cdcliving: What are your plans for the future?
My goal is to expand the illustration and comics industry here in the Dominican Republic. I firmly believe that this is what is necessary for the growth of our culture. It’s time to expand our artistic frontiers in the Dominican Republic.
@cdcliving: How does it fell to have had your work showcased in the Hall of Winners?
It’s an honor to be able to show my art with my fellow students, graduates from other years.
@cdcliving: Did you always know you would pursue a career in the arts?
Picasso said “all children are born artists, the tough thing is to keep being one when we all grow up. What I did always know is that I always loved to draw as a kid, so the decision came to me in my adolescent years, when I saw that I really felt happy making art, choosing to make that my philosophy and way of life.
At the Hall of Winners exhibit in Altos de Chavón
@cdcliving: At what age did you discover your passion for the arts? What did you create at first?
I don’t know if I started, or I just never stopped. I remember that, as a kid, I’d sit and draw by the candlelight in my parents’ house, as our electric lights wouldn’t work. My older brother was the one that played with the other kids, and I was the one who would stay home drawing. That conduct was duly noted by my parents, as well as by the school psychologist, who would call my parents, saying my drawings were very precise and that I had artistic inclinations. I started out drawing comics and copying cartoons.
@cdcliving: How has your art evolved since you came to the Altos de Chavón School of Design? Has it changed your manner of seeing things?
It’s evolved into a more contemporary form of appreciating art, as I used to have a very classic technique when it came to painting and/or drawing. At school I learned the fundamentals of design, to improve my work process, something which became a very powerful tool, allowing me to combine the classical and the modern, illustration and graphic design. This turns people into very complete artists, giving them a capacity to express themselves in various fields of art. It even changes the way people live their lives.
@cdcliving: Which painting are you most proud of? Why?
Well, I feel very proud of the painting with which I won first place in painting contest of the Casa de Teatro. But I also keep a lot of work and sketches I made in school, which I am very proud of, as I believe those drawings have spontaneity and an experimental feel that can’t be missed out on.
@cdcliving: Is artistic prowess something that runs in your family are have you been the first one in taking that path?
It’s something that runs in my blood. My father, Gerardo Castillo, is a writer, my uncle Edmundo Castillo is a writer and my uncle Edmundo Castillos an illustrator, and I grew up watching him work on illustrations, that being a major influence in my future. My older brother Elihu is a filmmaker and my sister Genesis is currently studying interior design. We’re a family of artists!
@cdcliving: How would you describe your style?
My works are very figurative, but also very realistic, moving between a photographic recreation and an expressionist interpretation of an idea.
@cdcliving: What was your inspiration for the pieces you exhibited in the Hall of Winners exhibit?
Everything serves as a source of inspiration if you’re paying enough attention, from the music you listen to, to a movie, or the way the walls crack, the climate we may find ourselves in, but among all that we find an overall attraction to human conduct, my culture, and, above all, what we act on in the name of traditions and beliefs.
@cdcliving: What would you say is the underlying message in these pieces?
It’s very difficult sometimes, when your work deals with talking about negative topics that affect oneself directly. I’m not really looking to send out a message, but an incentive to get people to see things differently
Click here for photos and coverage of the Hall of Winners art exhibit in Altos de Chavón.
Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design
The Altos de Chavón Cultural Center Foundation is a U.S. not-for- profit public charity that has a cultural and educational mission here in the Dominican Republic. The school is on a university level and offers an associate degree, with many students continuing on to Parsons School of Design (now called The Parsons New School For Design) in NY. Founded in 1983 to meet the growing commercial demands of the Dominican Republic, the School of Design offers an intensive two-year program leading to the degree of Associate in Applied Science.