Víctor Castillo is a visual artist with studies at the School of Art and Visual Culture of the University of Art and Social Sciences ARCIS and at the School of Art of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
He began drawing obsessively at the age of five, inspired by the cartoons he saw on television, science fiction films, and the album covers present in his home, especially Pink Floyd's The Wall.
After attending art schools and disappointed with the academy, he began to take part in independent collectives in Santiago that were close to experimental art, creating installations that combined sculpture and video. In 2004, Víctor decided to emigrate to Barcelona, where he developed his renowned aesthetic, with references to comics, American animation from the 1950s and graffiti. Inspired by seeing Francisco Goya's black paintings on a visit to the Museo del Prado, he began to incorporate elements of classical painting into his work. Collaborating with the legendary Iguapop Gallery until its closure in 2010, Castillo began to exhibit internationally with great success in museums, galleries and fairs around the world. In 2010 Víctor moved to Los Angeles, California, where he lived for over a decade.
Victor Castillo's work stands out for its ability to communicate directly with the viewer in allegories and metaphors that critically ironise the capitalist system and the current western model of life, developing diverse techniques in painting, drawing, collage and muralism.
His work has been presented in important spaces in Chile, such as the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, Museo de Arte Moderno de Chiloé and Sala Gasco, among others; Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, the United States, Canada, Spain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark, Turkey, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia, as well as in numerous publications around the world. He has also created large-scale murals for the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes and Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral in Santiago, the Centre de Cultura Contemporánia in Barcelona, and for The SOFA Collection and Hush Hostel Lounge hotels in Istanbul, among others.
In 2018 he premiered the documentary Hollywood Dreams, a short film produced by Loica Films and winner of the Golden Remi Award at the 52nd WorldFest-Houston in 2018.
Víctor Castillo lives and works in Barcelona.
