Artist Statement
Art, identity, and mental health are central to my work as a interdisciplinary Chicana feminist artist living and working in San Antonio, Texas. I’m interested in performativity and the body’s affective responses through art: self-portraiture, wearable sculptures, painting, photography, and mixed media collage.
Artist Bio
Sarah Castillo is an artist based in San Antonio, Texas working in mixed media and portraiture. Born and raised in San Antonio, Castillo obtained her Master’s degree in Bicultural Studies from the University of Texas at San Antonio with thesis title: Art as an Embodied Practice: Artistic Expression, Conocimiento, and Identity Formation. She is co-founder of Mas Rudas Collective, Creative Director of Lady Base Gallery and Co-Director at Clamp Light Studios & Gallery. She has shown at the University of Texas at San Antonio, Artpace, Contemporary Art Museum Houston, Institute of Texan Cultures, Mexic-Arte Museum, Mission Cultural Center of Latino Arts (San Francisco, CA) and was selected for the IV Biennial El Paso - CD. Juarez in 2015. She was awarded a National Association for Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC) Fund for the Arts: San Antonio Artist Grant in 2016.
Art, identity, and mental health are central to my work as a interdisciplinary Chicana feminist artist living and working in San Antonio, Texas. I’m interested in performativity and the body’s affective responses through art: self-portraiture, wearable sculptures, painting, photography, and mixed media collage.
Artist Bio
Sarah Castillo is an artist based in San Antonio, Texas working in mixed media and portraiture. Born and raised in San Antonio, Castillo obtained her Master’s degree in Bicultural Studies from the University of Texas at San Antonio with thesis title: Art as an Embodied Practice: Artistic Expression, Conocimiento, and Identity Formation. She is co-founder of Mas Rudas Collective, Creative Director of Lady Base Gallery and Co-Director at Clamp Light Studios & Gallery. She has shown at the University of Texas at San Antonio, Artpace, Contemporary Art Museum Houston, Institute of Texan Cultures, Mexic-Arte Museum, Mission Cultural Center of Latino Arts (San Francisco, CA) and was selected for the IV Biennial El Paso - CD. Juarez in 2015. She was awarded a National Association for Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC) Fund for the Arts: San Antonio Artist Grant in 2016.
portfolio
Chicana Feelings
Chicana Feelings represents my Chicana experience in the context of mental health. I am guided by questions framed to understand the ways that art, identity, and healing expand and challenge our capacity to embrace ourselves as we interact with the world around us. How does a Chicana artists enact agency to understand the conditions of herself? How does oppression operate against the body? And, how does this translate through art? My body carries family stories, histories, and the missing pieces too; but they’ve become constrained by colonization, imperialism, patriarchy, hegemony, capitalism, and acculturation to reinforce a popular discourse that normalizes and perpetuates a cycle of violence, obscurity, and silence. Through the concept of embodied knowledge, our lived experiences are validated as an essential source of power and authority. We learn that "our body knows." CHICANA FEELINGS is supported in part by the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures, the City of San Antonio Department of Arts & Culture, and Southwest Airlines through a grant from the NALAC Fund for the Arts.
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Attacks on Our Environment or When We Imitate Those We Fear as a Path to Survival, 2017.
Acrylic on Canvas. 72” x 58”.
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If I Were a Plant, I’d Feel Pain or When Your Defense Mechanism Is Rooted in Isolation, 2017.
Acrylic on Canvas. 72” x 58”.
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Video Still. I Fight With It. 41 Sec. 2017.
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Video Still. I Fight With It. 41 Sec. 2017.
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Installation View. Chicana Feelings, 2017. Embroidery thread, found fabric, ivy & aloe vera plants. 36” x 50”.
Remedies for re(membering)
Installation View. Remedies for Re(membering). 168" x 84". A Woman's Place Is... 2017.
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Remedies for Re(membering) Series. C-print. 24" x 36". 2016-2017.
Hand Embroidery Work
Tyrant Be Gone. 4" x 5". 2017.
Embroidered Prayers - Betsy DeVos. 4" x 5". Red thread on photo transfer, fabric. 2018.
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Embroidered Tears. Found dress, red cotton thread, gold plated hanger, brass with marble hook. 2018.
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Detail. Tyrant Be Gone. 4" x 5". 2017.
Embroidered Prayers - Scott Pruitt. 4" x 5".
Red thread on photo transfer, fabric. 2018.
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I Will Not Assist Your Economy With My Children. Acrylic, thread, foam. 30" x 40". 2012.
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Acrylic. 24" x 36". 2012.
Fiber Wall Hangings
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Self-Portrait. 24" x 36". 2013.
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Bodies As Statements. Fiber, spray paint, silk flowers, paper, tape, foam, wire. 60” x 60”. 2013.
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Feminine/Masculine Identities. C-print. 24” x 36”. 2013
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