MOLAA Zoom Project: In Conversation with Oscar Castillo

MOLAA’s Zoom Project is an invitation to explore the work of some of the most influential and inspiring artists from Latin America and Latinxs in the US.

In each chapter, the conversation with the artists and our MOLAA Chief Curator places the focus on a series or specific artwork, which requires a close inspection and deliberate process of contemplation, and exploration. They delve into the ideas surrounding the creation of the works, their sources of research and inspiration, in an effort to immerse ourselves in the world of the artists.
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After high school, Castillo served four years in the U. S. Marine Corp., of which one year was spent in Japan, after following his discharge, he enrolled in college with a dual major in Sociology and Fine Art. While in Japan, during the mid-1960 he was significantly influenced by that country's cultural and environmental beauty and began a serious study of photography to document his experiences there. This fascination with cultural, social, and political documentation has continued to this day, with his personal and artistic photography reflecting his sense of community.

As a youth, his parents influenced him in the way his mother kept a family photo album. As Castillo explains, these are not just snapshots, but rather a medium that tells a story by the choice of locations as well as by depicting different people.

In the more than 30 years that Castillo has been producing art images, there are cycles of recurring themes and metamorphism of images and ideas. Some pieces are stand-alone images, while in others he combines photos into juxtaposed or organically combined collages. While some are photojournalistic, others are painterly.

But as we will discover, many carry on his early memories of community, family, and a sense of place…. Reflecting his Hispanic and Native American heritage while at the same time making a universal statement.