Carlos Castro Arias: Vandalismo Artesanal

Vandalismo Artesanal stages a confrontation between two craft traditions: bronze—a technique historically used to memorialize, monumentalize, and construct national narratives—and the weaving and beading crafts of communities across Colombia. Here, bronze statues emerge fragmented and reconfigured: busts encircled in basketry or adorned with Inga symbols, among others. These gestures of "vandalism" stage a moment of encounter in material form, exposing monuments to systems of making and knowing that have persisted despite colonial violence. The transformation of these sculptures—among them busts of Conquistadores—also recall recent global movements demanding the removal of statues celebrating colonial and imperial histories. Across public squares, monuments once imagined as permanent were graffitied, toppled, and, in some cases, set ablaze. Still, by incorporating dark humor through surprising juxtapositions, these works move beyond familiar discourses of decolonization, creating metaphors for human emotions and mental states—obsession, trauma, cyclical patterns of behavior, and other psychological conditions. Woven baskets also transform these sculptures into utilitarian objects, creating hybrids that explore relationships between materials. Throughout the run of the exhibition, the works on display will become vessels for rotating produce, which will be freely available to visitors, turning static objects into active sites. "Vandalismo Artesanal" proposes a reflection on how histories are constructed, contested, and continually remade. Like fire, an element marked by its capacity for transformation, the works displayed here suggest the possibility of ongoing renewal and critique. Carlos Castro Arias is a Colombian artist, professor, and musician. His work draws from historical images and objects, transforming them to create new meanings and connections. Through sculpture, installation, painting, and video, his practice explores individual and collective identity, bringing attention to muted histories and overlooked perspectives. Castro has had retrospectives at the Museum of Modern Art Bogotá (MAMBO) and the Museo de la Universidad de Antioquia. His work has been featured in solo exhibitions at the Ringel Gallery at Purdue University, Artpace, The Athenaeum Art Center, and La Cometa Gallery, among others. This is his first solo exhibition in Los Angeles. Vandalismo Artesanal is curated by Frida Cano, with curatorial assistance from Audrey Libatique, ArtTable Fellow 2026. This exhibition is supported, in part, by The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Alan Zafran, First Citizens Bank, Logic Technology Consulting Group, The Julius Bernard Kester Trust, and Arttextum Tejido de agentes culturales inspirados en Latinoamérica. In June 2025, Craft Contemporary began a series of exhibitions interpreting the varied interactions between craft and the natural elements: air, water, earth, and fire. The exhibitions highlight sustainability, accessibility, and connect visitors to the universal rhythms of the Earth. Significantly, these exhibitions also tell a new story of Craft in a contemporary world as we work together to heal global wounds through creativity and making. This exhibition includes cactus-based paint made with natural materials generously provided by Descanso Gardens and rotating produce provided through partnership with Hollywood Food Coalition.