Innovative artist and creator of Personal Mythologies, an immersive public art exhibition in NYC, Dominique Castelano has charted her own course. From working closely with her husband to supporting the local trans community, her dedication, care, and compassion has left us endlessly inspired. We talked with Dominique about her unique path and what she sees ahead, both personally and in her career.
Photography: Casper Yen
Dress: Rinat Brodach
Name:
Dominique V. Castelano
IG Handle:
Where do you live?
New York, New York
What is your job title?
Visual Artist, Actor, and Model.
Favorite Larroude shoe for the winter season?
The Jennifer Fisher boot in Navy and the Kris pump in black.
What excites you about the winter season?
Spending time with family, cozying up with my husband Casil McArthur in front of a fire, and getting layered outfits to break out my winter boot collection.
IG Account(s) you follow for Inspo:
My top inspiration for everything is my husband @casil_the_goat_lord, my muse @aaron__philip, and lastly, my family over @blacktransliberation.
What inspires you?
The work that I get to do with my queer family, my friends, and my husband in our community.
One thing you wish you knew when you were first starting out?
That faith is not born from miracles, but miracles from faith.
What is one of your biggest successes so far?
Last year, I hosted my first public art show sponsored by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. The show was successful, allowing me to dedicate a portion of the proceeds from artwork sales to New Alternatives, a local resource center providing services for LGBTQ+ homeless youth in NYC. I also mentored some of the people in their program, and as a culmination, I introduced one of the youth through an artist panel discussing their story and an oral history of trans bodies in ancient mythology held on the second day of the show.
What’s your go-to Spotify Playlist?
I made a "Metransverse" playlist, which I play when I am painting, sculpting, and generally working in my studio. It includes some of my favorite operatic tracks, classical music, and some of my favorite Filipino folk songs. Here is the link for everyone: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/47bsgRZF5TZMLmItsXwomy?si=f1b99d1c6e2a41fe
How has being based in New York City impacted your artistic practice and career?
Being in New York has been essential in making my art community-based. At its core, I explore historical injustices, focusing on the cleansing of trans and gender non-conforming bodies through colonization and imperialism. Themes include access to resources, trans bodies in ancient art and mythology, spirituality, autobiography, social activism, Filipino and indigenous folklore, and performances outside of time, inspired by my time in New York.
In a call to action, I invite fellow community members in New York City to creatively engage, aiming to reshape a narrative where our identities play a vital role in various art movements. Amidst challenges in a cisheteropatriarchal society, being in New York allows me to create communal spaces for storytelling, creation, liberation, and celebration for my community.
Throughout your career in performing arts, visual arts, fashion, etc., what have you found to be the most rewarding medium of art?
I most recently fell in love with sculpture, especially ceramics. In my most recent work, I created a sculptural piece entitled “Adarniquette”. As an extension of my painted work "Adarnique", this piece comprises nine ceramic sculptures intricately depicting the Adarna Bird, a mythological entity rooted in Philippine folklore. The sculpture of the Adarna Bird itself is meticulously crafted and adorned with a diverse array of colorways, symbolizing the multifaceted nature of the creature believed to possess an extensive, ornate tail and shimmering metallic feathers. Each sculpture features a rose quartz embedded within, representing the bird's purported ability to sing seven songs, inducing a slumber that metamorphoses its listeners into stone. In this work, I wanted to capture the duality of the Adarna Bird, delicately portraying both its aesthetic beauty and the ominous consequence of its droppings, which possess the power to petrify.
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