Changarrito with Maia: Instagram Takeover

About the Artist

Maia Castillo is a multimedia artist from Houston, Tx who’s art practice is based on photographing a portion of a surreal world that behaves as a metaphor for my experiences and environment.

Honing their skills in the wet darkroom by creating traditional landscape photographs in high school and the first two years of college, their current work now consists of digital experimental works and portraiture. Using their commercial style of graphic design alongside their fine art photography, they explore topics of identity, mental health, and social and environmental phenomena. 

Maia came to Austin for her undergraduate studies at St. Edward’s University and graduated with a BA in Photography and Media Arts and a minor in Graphic Design in 2022. They currently reside in Austin, Tx, and are the Digital Media Associates here at Mexic-Arte.

They have won two ATPI awards, shown works in The Da Vinci Art gallery in Tomball, Texas, and have been in the Student Juried Exhibition at St Edward’s fine arts gallery two years in a row. Their most recent group feature was in Mas Cultura fest this past November.

Artist Statement

Playing with the surreal and whimsical while creating an exclusive environment within the frame, my pictures are all about exploring what can be seen and implied. Using different mediums in photography such as medium format film, dslrs, and alternative processes, I digitally or by hand manipulate the images to emphasize further what is being portrayed. Additionally, creating photographs that showcase the progression of my mind my work forces me to come to terms with the topic I am exploring and how this affects others. I enjoy pushing the boundaries of self-realization and reflection viewers can have. My images are an act of attention and, in return, recognition for how and why these images were made and how they attend to the viewer. I have no fears about changing the images or manipulating them to tell a story. In the end, my story is spun into various meanings, and it will take on a new life that was extracted from me.

Changarrito Cart December 17 and 18

Artists have the opportunity to sell their art on the Changarrito cart in front of the Museum (or an offsite location, as representative for the Museum during various Austin festivals). Changarreando expands the reach of the artist by presenting their gallery online, while allowing the option to sell merch over Instagram and receive 100% of the sale.

Maia Castillo featured their artwork on the Changarrito cart outside the Museum’s entrance on December 17 & 18th, 2022.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for updates on original work available for purchase and behind the scenes of the artist’s work, space, and creative process.