Painter & Artist Vincent Castiglia – “An Homage to H.R. Giger”
Vincent Castiglia (born April 8, 1982 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American Painter and Tattoo Artist. He paints figurative paintings with metaphysical and often nightmarish subject matters depicting various, uncensored stations of the Human Condition, exclusively in human blood (iron oxide) on paper.
Castiglia tattoos exclusively in black and grey with a concentration in Realism, receiving numerous awards and published by countless news outlets, art, and lifestyle publications including various television appearances, internationally and domestically.
Can you share with us your background and your career?
Sure, I’ve been making art in one or another from as soon as I could hold a pencil. It was cathartic and meaningful, and something I decided to pursue, a career in the Arts.
After receiving a full Scholarship from Parson’s School of Design for a full Summer Painting, Drawing & Photography Intensive, I then decided to study Illustration for a few years at FIT, only in my 3rd year, already having a full-time tattoo schedule I was juggling with the school workload, I withdrew College and full-time (double-time) with Art.
I then founded and opened Omega Tattoo in Brooklyn, which was my appointment only studio, many years after this moving to Manhattan and spending the last 10 years in NYC in working and living in Hell’s Kitchen, before moving down to sunny FL, which was an annual ‘2nd home’ in my early years, and which I love!
After exhibiting paintings in many solo exhibitions domestically and internationally, the highlight of my “career”, or life path rather, was my 1st solo Exhibition at the H.R. Giger Museum in Switzerland.
Giger was my greatest artistic inspiration, and the flabbergasting honor of my first show (which took 6 years to paint, done so in deliberate obscurity, because of its medium), this opening, “Remedy for The Living”, I’d cite as the highlight of my career, opening at the Giger Museum and entirely separate 2-man show at Paul Booth’s Last Rites Gallery simultaneously (6 years’ worth of painting, opening at once in 2 locations). From there, I’ve just continued to paint “from the heart”.
Can you share with our readers how you started your business and the mission behind it?
Being the sole designer, construction coordinator, owner, operator, and sole Artist, I took extremely careful consideration of all elements, designed the space from a blank slate into the 2 separate ‘wings it exists in, the Gallery, functioning entirely as its own entity, and the by appointment custom tattoo studio, partitioned in separate halls.
Opening the Gallery and studio was the ‘shoring up’ of a 23-year career, in one new location, designing every square inch of the Gallery and Studio’s functionality, quality, and aesthetic to what I believe to be its best ‘incarnation’.
The Gallery was envisioned to exhibit Artists of all career levels, emerging Artists to forthright Masters, to continue the movement and visibility of the Arts, the innate truth of its depictions and relevance being some of the only contemporary social commentaries that exercises freedom distinctly unique to Visual Art, unadulterated (since many things cannot “be spoken”, only depicted), unbiased nor uncensored, and honoring the incommunicable visceral ‘truth’ communicated by Art which could not be expressed in any other form.
The Gallery will also showcase Artists that have inspired me personally and sharing their work and new bodies of work and projects with the region of South Florida, New York, and wherever else from which attendees are coming, and close neighbor to Art Basel, which needs no introduction (as one of the greatest Art Fairs in the word).
The Gallery will be home for an eclectic group of talents, with rotating solo exhibitions bi-annually and seasonally, with one month group exhibitions on relevant occasions.
If you could go back and talk to your younger self what you tell him and why?
It’s going to be ok; I promise. Just stay alive.
Can you tell us about your latest exhibition and the inspiration behind it?
The exhibition was my Homage to the Master, incomparable Visionary, and dear friend H.R. Giger. The exhibition features 5 original Masterworks, 1 original airbrush painting, 4 drawings, and an extremely rare “hybrid” painting, a limited edition lithograph that Giger painted on top of and hand embellished through, in addition to many other rare (long sold out) editions.
This exhibition was hosted in coordination with and endorsed by the HR Giger Estate. Most works in the show were exhibition only.
I’m profoundly grateful for the Museum’s assistance and collectors who helped make the exhibition possible, and to have known and experienced HRG’s awe inspiring work and personhood, always missed, and never forgotten. 33 works constitute the exhibition.
The 2nd Gallery Hall features a collection of my works, also curated by Stephen Romano Gallery, titled “Stations of Embodiment”. 18 works of extremely limited-edition paintings (on canvas) and limited-edition Sculptures (in resin).
Are you working on any exciting new projects now?
Yes! In addition to having just hosted my absolute Art hero (Oscar Award-winning) Artist HR Giger the best Homage I could organize in honor of the Master, I’m further honored to announce Burton C. Bell (Vocalist of Fear Factory, City of Fire, Ascension of The Watchers) very 1st solo exhibition of Photographic works, spanning several decades.
I have been a ‘fan’, musical admirer of Fear Factory for almost 30 years, and to host this very special event is just another, for me, extremely meaningful and relevant for and anticipated by many.
Where do you see yourself and your career going in this new year and in the future?
Continuing to honor the Artists who’ve inspired generations and emerging Artists will as they keep creating, and inspire, while also continuing to paint “from the heart”.
How can our readers connect with you on Social Media?
