Castillo’s use of symbolism and literary devices is sharpened by his masterful mixing of pop culture and classical art imagery including medieval prints, political caricatures, punk, graffiti, and other counter culture graphics.
A satirical exploration of top-down social structures...
‘FOOLS!’ humorously imagines how the masses might be regarded by a powerful elite. Inspired by the monologue of an amorphous demon in a ’90s animation, Victor Castillo questions what agency we have inside hierarchical systems if we are trapped.
This can be seen in the painting ‘El Loco’, or: The Fool. This piece is a reference to a tarot card character, which is sometimes portrayed walking along the border of an abyss, or shown upside-down, as they are able to see the world in a different way. This way of viewing and presenting a character, has taken influence from the novel Don Quixote, which presents the readers with alternative perspectives.
In his first solo exhibition in London, Castillo challenges the viewer to observe the world as it is instead of how it’s presented to us from above. ‘FOOLS!’ also encourages us to appreciate the dreamy landscapes associated with being comfortably numb.
Victor Castillo was born in Santiago, Chile in 1973. He began drawing obsessively at the age of five, inspired by the animations he saw on television, science fiction movies, and the illustrations on record covers such as Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”. In 2004 Victor moved to Barcelona, Spain, where he dedicated himself to painting. He established his style with references to comics, graffiti, as well as old master paintings in particular, Goya’s Black Paintings after seeing them at the Prado Museum. His work continues to display these influences, as seen in his first solo London exhibit ‘FOOLS!’, while subverting recognisable iconography to question our perceived agency.