Stephanie Castillo

“I became an artist because I was always attracted to creating things,” says Castillo, who made a splash with her hanging textile and audio installation proclaiming “Pussy Power” during Art 511’s EMINENT DOMAIN exhibition in Chelsea. As a child, she felt surrounded by art, everything from her mother’s crafting and calligraphy, her uncle’s illustrations and the clothing her great grandmother made for the whole family. “We were a family that made things.” Meanwhile, growing up in Manhattan, Stephanie was exposed to a wide array of contemporary art and top notch art education from a young age. Although she has explored many mediums over the years, she has a deep love for painting, particularly in oil — “My best stress reliever.” Her work is often personal and transpersonal: “It’s important as women to remind each other of our human experiences, and stop apologizing for being women,” remarks Castillo. A female figure/spirit is a reoccurring theme in her work and not only that, one of her missions is to bring to light the unseen in our culture. She currently works from her apartment, and also enjoys backyards and parks. She is always working on a million projects, and at the moment is occupied with painting on clothing, political collages, a triptych of wild female cats, and painting the Fatboy Hair Factory’s backyard. Obtaining the financial support to keep making her work is a great challenge. She’s open to collaborating visually with more like-minded artists and wants to teach herself how to sew.