RICK CASTRO: REFORMATION

8/13/2021.FRIDAY.5AM

rick castro: virtual gallery

RICK CASTRO: REFORMATION

1st exhibition since the plague

August 13th, 2021

Noon- 6pm

After one year and four months or so, we enter a brave new world. 

As with many, 2020 was a hard year for me. I experienced near-destitution, despair, loss, fear, life fraught with anxiety and the deaths of loved ones taken by the plague. 

REFORMATION examines these emotions through my archives;1988-2021. 

This collection of photos tells my story immersed within the depths of melancholy,

 hope, sexual healing and renewal. 

I wish us all a happy & prosperous 2021 and beyond.

Rick Castro- August 2021

rick castro: tom of finland foundation

rick castro: photos & interview- i-d.- magazine- 

rick castro: virtual gallery

rick castro: virtual gallery

rick castro: advocate magazine- 

rick castro: virtual gallery

Rick Castro- Artist Bio:  2021

I’ve lived in Los Angeles my entire life. 

I became a freelance photographer at age 29, working for Frontiers, The Advocate and Drummer magazines.  My first solo exhibition was at the original, Different Light Bookstore in Silverlake, CA.   

Over the years I’ve had numerous national and international exhibitions including NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Detroit, Phoenix, Paris, Lille,Tokyo, London,  Berlin, Frankfurt, Freiburg, Melbourne, Amsterdam, and Milano. 

I've lectured about my photography and films at Mid-Summa festival Melbourne, AUS, GLBT festival, Sydney, AUS, Gay & Lesbian film festival, Austin, TX, NYU, UCLA, USBC, One Institute, USC, and 18th St. Arts Complex, Santa Monica. 

As a photographer I've created portraits for producer Alan Poul, pornstar Peter Berlin, Writer Gore Vidal, director Kenneth Anger, performance artist, Ron Athey,

 “drag Terrorist”, Christeene, punk legend Alice Bag, actor Guillermo Diaz, 

model Tony Ward, fashion diva Michele Lamy, and the 14th Dalai Lama.

 I've created editorial photos for Christian Dior Homme, Cartier jewelry,

 and Rick Owens.

Editorials for Flaunt, LA,  Metal Mag, Spain, Gay Letter, NYC, Dazed Digital, UK, Document Journal, NYC, King Kong, Paris, Numero: Berlin, and i-d. UK.

 My photography was included in Rick Owens: Inhuman Subhuman Superhuman- 

Triennale di Milano- 1/ 2018 and Queer Communion: Ron Athey, ICA LA 6/2021. 

Two books published of my photography, Castro,(1990) published by the Tom of Finland Foundation) and 13 Years of Bondage, (2004, Fluxion Editions). 

I co-directed and wrote the feature film Hustler White, (1996)

 and directed & produced the documentary Plushies & Furries,(2001) for MTV.

I also produced, directed & wrote-

The Dark Waters of Hotel Cecil 2017

ANTEBELLUM2016

ANTEBELLUM2015

ANTEBELLUM2014

ANTEBELLUM2013

Antebellum Says: Darren Ankenbauer- 2012

Antebellum Says: The Black Dahlia- 2012

Antebellum Says: Tom of Finland- 2012

Antebellum Says: Go Ask Alice- 2011

Another 45 Minutes of Bondage- 1995

45 Minutes of Bondage- 1994

Fertile Latoya Jackson Video Magazine: The Kinky Issue 1994

Fertile Latoya Jackson Video Magazine 1993

Three Faces of Women- 1992

Automolove- 1991

My films are archived at UCLA Legacy Projects. My books and photographs archived by the Alfred Kinsey Institute, Ind, UCLA library, Westwood, Chicago Leather Museum, IL, El Insulto Archive y Libreria, Mexico City, One Institute, USC, Leslie/Lohman Museum, NYC, and Tom Of Finland Foundation, Echo Park. 

From 2005- 2017 I founded and ran Antebellum Gallery Hollywood.

I was the 2014 recipient-artist lifetime achievement award- Tom of Finland foundation.

I was featured in the historic first queer issue of Los Angeles Magazine, June 2019.

I’m a regular writer and photographer for Anotherman, UK, Document Journal, NYC

 and Homosurrealism, Atlanta. 

I hosted weekly tea & art salons and monthly book club at the Tom of Finland Foundation, Echo Park; dedicated to the preservation of GLBT art and literature- 2017- 2019. 

This all ended when the plague hit. Currently I’m creating virtual photo series and portraits thru writings combined with photography.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS-

2021

QUEER COMMUNION: RON ATHEY- ICA LA- 6/2021- present

PRIDE PUBLIC- ONE INSTITUTE- WEST HOLLYWOOD- 6/2021- present

REIMAGINE PUBLIC ART: HOUSE & HOME- DCA LA- 2/2021

2020

FERAL- LISA DERRICK FINE ART- CHINATOWN, LA- 2/15/2020

LOVE4LOVE QUEER BIENNIAL- ACE HOTEL, DOWNTOWN, LA- 2/8/2020 

ROUND HOLE/SQUARE PEG- LONG HALL, WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA- 2/8/2020

PHOTOLA- BARKER HANGER, SANTA MONICA- 1/30/2020 

2019

 EX VOTO: SANTISIMA- LISA DERRICK FINE ART- CHINATOWN, LA- 10/5/2019

 TOM OF FINLAND ART FAIR - TOM HOUSE- 10/4/2019 

HOMOSURREALISM- TOUCHON & CO. GALLERY, LA- 8/23/2019

 INTERIORS CAST: RICK CASTRO/ELLIOT REED- MiM GALLERY- 7/2019

 RICK CASTRO: GLORY HOLE- TOMOFFINLANDSTORE- 6/2019- 10/2019

 GODDESSES & GODS- LISA DERRICK FINE ARTS- 6/2019 

GLENDALEOUT- ACE/121 GALLERY-  GLENDALE- 6/2019

 RICK CASTRO: FETISH KING- TOM HOUSE- 4/2019 

JOYS OF SIN- LISA DERRICK FINE ARTS- CHINATOWN, LA- 3/2019 

2018 

RICK OWENS:SUBHUMAN, INHUMAN, SUPERHUMAN- LA TRIENNALE DI MILANO- 1/1/2018

for art inquires- antebellum@earthlink.net