10 Questions with Roxana Casillas

Roxana Casillas is a sculptor, born in Mexico City in 1964. Her passion for wood carving and sculpture began at age 15 during art school. After moving to San Diego in 1986, she graduated from SDSU in 1989 and settled in Los Angeles, where she taught painting and photography.

In 1993, Roxana relocated to Pietrasanta, Italy, renowned for its sculpture heritage. There, she spent 15 years living and working, learning from experienced artisans who became her mentors. Roxana honed her sculpture skills in marble studios and bronze foundries, even apprenticing for three noted sculptors.

Her first major commission happened in 1995 with - a 10-foot-tall marble sculpture of Our Lady of Guadalupe in California. This success led to more commissions, including The Stations of the Cross, a collection of fifteen marble sculptures with 210 figures, and a bronze statue called "A Tribute to Woody Herman" commissioned by PBS.

During her time in Italy, Roxana participated in numerous exhibitions, sculpture symposiums, and residencies throughout Europe, the U.S. and Mexico. Notably, in 2001, she represented the U.S. in Project Giotto during the G8 international summit meeting in Genoa, Italy.

After her enriching years in Italy, Roxana returned to the U.S. to establish her own studio. She continues to collaborate with museums and galleries while working on both public and private commissions. Currently, she resides and thrives in her artistic journey in Palm Springs, California.

www.roxanacasillas.com | @roxanacasillas_sculptor

ARTIST STATEMENT

Roxana Casillas' work aims to celebrate the enigmatic aspects of femininity, delving into her own psyche as both the creator and the subject while offering viewers profound insights into the complexities of existence and the journey of self-discovery. Working primarily with contemporary sculpture, Roxana finds joy in the tangible and transformative nature of this medium. Her technique sets her apart, as she deliberately uses fragmentation and rearrangement, reflecting the ever-changing nature of identity. Roxana's creative process involves arranging fragments of faces and bodies, shaping them into abstract forms that challenge conventional boundaries. Her work is a collage of sculptural materials and techniques, where various elements are combined to breathe life into her sculptures. Beyond sculpting, she incorporates painting, gilding, and other materials, adding layers of richness and depth.

In the context of the socio/political importance of feminist art, Roxana Casillas' work addresses and explores the complexities of womanhood, a subject of great significance and relevance in contemporary society. The arrangement of fragments into abstract forms not only showcases artistic innovation but also reflects the fluid and ever-changing nature of identity, resonating with the ongoing conversations surrounding gender and self-expression.

Fearlessly delving into the enigmatic aspects of femininity and presenting powerful visual narratives, Roxana aims to offer a fresh perspective on the female experience, contributing to broader discussions on gender equality, diversity, and the celebration of individuality. Through the lens of feminist art, her sculptures become a vehicle for empowerment, challenging societal norms and inviting viewers to embrace the beauty and complexity of womanhood in all its forms. Roxana Casillas' goal is to provoke conversations and foster a deeper understanding of the multifaceted nature of womanhood, using her art as a means to empower and inspire viewers to appreciate and embrace the diverse aspects of femininity.

INTERVIEW

How did you start getting involved in visual art, and how? 

I was 15 years old when I started sculpting. One day, my sister wanted to take an art class at an art school and didn’t want to go alone. I agreed to take a class at the same school. I took wood carving, and it was then that my lifelong love for carving started. Pretty soon, I was enrolled in other classes, such as sculpture, drawing, and gilding. The funny thing was that my sister dropped out of her class and didn’t attend it anymore, only getting interested in art again much later in her life and I went on to become a professional artist as well.  
I never stopped sculpting; after a few years of attending art school together with my regular high school studies, I went on to college. I went to San Diego State University, where I got one degree in Art and another in Photography. After college, I moved to Los Angeles and worked as a graphic designer and then onto teaching Photography. I continued with my sculpture, and at one point, I decided I only wanted to sculpt and the best place to learn and become a professional sculptor was a small town in Italy called Pietrasanta. I moved there back in 1993. There, I learned from the best marble carvers in the world. The artisans were so excited about my enthusiasm to learn everything about sculpture that they took me under their wings. There I also apprenticed to several important sculptors and learned so much from them as well. 

What inspired you to pursue a career in the art field? 

I can’t say that one thing inspired me. I suppose I was always an artist. I tried lots of other avenues, but they were all within the arts. I was never attracted by any other field of work. I studied photography, design, scenic design, theater, painting, and writing; however, I would always come back to sculpture as my personal escape. At one point it became clear that I was a sculptor and decided to pursue it from that point on as a profession. 

How would you define yourself as an artist nowadays, and what is your personal aim? 

I consider myself an artist on a mission. My work has matured and has centered on women and, therefore, on feminist issues. As I often use myself as the subject in my work, commentary on issues becomes very personal. My aim is to reach larger and larger audiences to view my work to both provoke and inspire deeper dialogues on issues of women’s empowerment and inclusion in contemporary society. 

In your work, you disassemble and reassemble human figures to create complex and layered sculptures. How do you choose the pieces to incorporate in your work? And what do they represent to you? 

Depending on the idea for the sculpture, I sculpt the basic forms that I will require. As I disassemble the portions of the carved figures, I start discovering the various possibilities for forms. It is then that I decide which portions to use or what portions I still need to carve for a successful result.  
As I set out on an exploration of identity and the mystical aspects of the feminine spirit; my use of fragmentation and reconfiguration mirrors the fluidity of identity, self-discovery, and self-reimagining, prompting contemplation of the possibilities.  

How did you come up with this concept? And what messages do you want to convey? 

It was back when I was still living in Italy that I was invited to participate in an exhibition with the theme of “Migration”. We were six artists, and each one had a whole room for us to develop a body of work on an aspect of migration. Exploring the subject, I chose the theme of “Separation”, that being the feeling of separation an immigrant feels inside. Always missing the place we came from. So, I created a body of work that expressed this subject. Because of its fluidity, the concept stuck with me. I continued to use reconfiguring as it then reflected the many possibilities of self-reimagining. It became a way to portray the fluidity of identity. These are some of the messages I wish to convey in my work, but also the many mystical aspects of the feminine spirit, or the “divine feminine”.  

As you explain in your statement, you work with several different materials, techniques, and disciplines. But what is your favorite one? What is the one you find closer to your practice? 

I guess your first love is always the one that echoes in your life. So I would say that “wood carving” is my first love and, therefore, my favorite one. Even when I was living In Italy, surrounded by incredible marble that I could just go pick up from the sides of the quarries, I would often carve wood. My friends would laugh. To this day, most of my work is based on wood carving, but lately, it has become more of a collage of materials and techniques into one piece. I’m also profoundly in love with the polychrome technique from ancient wood sculpture and gilding. I also use that often in my work but with a much more contemporary approach. 

You have exhibited extensively and internationally. How do you promote your work? And what do you think about the art community and market? 

I participate in social media, mostly on Instagram. However, I don’t promote my work per se. In my career, I have been extremely fortunate in always having things come to me. Invitations for exhibitions, commissions, or gallerists contacting me, or simply people who know my work and contact me with information about something I should apply for, like residencies, grants, etc. Call it luck or the Universe, but it has carried me through making a living from full-time sculpting. I’m lucky indeed! The art world can be a very rough place, big players often control the market, and it often revolves around money instead of art, but complaining about it won’t make it change. It is essential for each of us artists to decide how we will interact with it and then do a thorough job. 

Is there anything else you would like to achieve career-wise? Do you have any projects you have been meaning to start? 

Of course! So many things I still want to achieve. My work has yet to reach museums and larger exhibition spaces. Even though I have been working for many years, I still feel challenged and excited by the possibilities of taking my work to larger venues and reaching larger audiences. I like the direction my work is taking, and I feel it has real possibilities to become more and more interesting as I continue to grow as an artist. As for the projects... I have already started on a project I had been planning for a while, it’s an entire body of work on Goddesses.  

Finally, where can our readers find your work next? Do you have any upcoming exhibitions or publications? 

Not at this moment. I received a grant recently that finances the body of work I mentioned previously. I am currently busy working on these pieces that are meant to be shown together as an exhibition on the “goddess reimagined”, a contemplation on modern visions of identity and the divine feminine. Once this body of work is finished, the foundation that granted the funds will decide on the venue for the exhibition. I will keep you posted! 

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.