ANTEBELLUM BLOG: RICK CASTRO- BIO & ARTIST STATEMENT

10/14/16

RICK CASTRO- BIO & ARTIST STATEMENT

portrait of Rick Castro- Lupin Dolci- 2017

RICK CASTRO

is an American Photographer known for his work focusing on fetish and desire.

He was born in Los Angeles in 1958 and began his work as a wardrobe stylist and clothing designer.

His clients over the years included Bette Midler, Tina Turner, Herb Ritts, Joel-Peter Witkin and magazines like Interview, GQ, Rolling Stone, MIchele Lamy, and Vanity Fair.

Castro first became a freelance photographer at age 29 during 1987 working for Frontiers, The Advocate and Drummer magazine.

His first solo exhibition happened one year later at the original, Different Light Bookstore in Silverlake, CA.

Over the years Rick has had numerous international exhibitions including NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Detroit, Paris, Tokyo, London, Berlin, Frankfurt, Melbourne, Amsterdam and Milano.

In 1994 his short film of hustler interviews inspired Bruce LaBruce to make the film Hustler White, (1996). The two then collaborated on this project as co-directors/writers. Hustler White was a great success internationally and is listed by the Los Angeles Times top 100 underground films of the 20^th century.

Rick also directed a documentary for MTV called, Plushies & Furries, (2001) scoring #2 in the ratings.

Rick Castro has photographed~ producer Alan Poul, porn star Peter Berlin, Writer Gore Vidal, director Kenneth Anger and the 14^th Dalai Lama.

Rick has created editorial photos for Christian Dior Homme, Cartier jewelry, and shoots on a regular basis for Rick Owens. Castro's photography was included in Rick Owens: Inhuman Subhuman Superhuman- Triennale di Milano- 2018.

He was the west coast editor/photographer for Studio Publications- Blue, Black & White, The Masters based in Australia- 2000- 2007.

Rick Castro’s films are archived by UCLA Legacy Projects. His books and photographs are archived by the Alfred Kinsey Institute, Ind, UCLA library, Westwood, Chicago Leather Museum, IL, One Institute, USC, Leslie/Lohman Museum, NYC, and the Tom Of Finland Foundation, Echo Park.

Two books have been published of Rick’s photography, Castro, 1990) published by the Tom of Finland Foundation and 13 Years of Bondage, (2004) Fluixon publications.

From 2005- 2016 Rick founded and ran Antebellum Gallery Hollywood. The first art gallery dedicated exclusively to fetish as art.

Rick hosts weekly tea salons and a monthly book club at the Tom of Finland Foundation in Echo Park; dedicated to homoerotic art and literature.

Rick Castro lives and works in Hollywood, where he daily blogs- antebellumgallery.blogspot.com

photos & interview- dazed digital

photos & interview- the advocate

photos & interview- balaclava q.

photos & interview with rick owens- glamcult

photos- narcissus magazine

interview & photos- john coulthart

interview- chaos reigns

films-

hustler white- 1996