After featuring the lovely Gogo Gent a couple of weeks ago, he recommended we check out his mate Castro. The handsome Spaniard now resides in London and has been exploring his artistic side for a while. From posting his poetry on his tumblr, to producing short videos, writing scripts and now directing feature length movies – he’s more than just a hot guy taking his clothes off at this point. But that doesn’t mean he should stop anytime soon….
When did you begin studying Art?
I haven’t started yet. Hopefully soon. I would like to do an Art-related MA in the near future.
When did you begin to use your body as Art?
I think I started out of necessity. Making films is a very long creative process and I needed a more immediate way to express myself. What I do outside filmmaking is very spontaneous and home-made. It is usually just me and the camera. I’m not a very technological person and don’t know how to use my camera. I just leave it always on the same setting. I have no tripod and only very old lenses. But also I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m using my body as art. I’m just challenging myself. I think it is good to do that, to stir things up inside. It helps you change and grow. For me, showing my own nudity and sexuality is extremely challenging. I find it interesting that it gives me more anxiety to show my body than to expose myself in my poems, even though my poems are much more revelatory. Culturally, we are encouraged to feel ashamed of nudity.
What were you using before that?
I was already writing poetry and making short films.
Have you worked out more since you started being naked on film?
I don’t think I train any harder now. I’ve always been a very sporty guy. Also, I’m still a personal trainer. I find that exercise gives my life some structure. Routine is almost absent in my daily life. Exercise is the only activity I do habitually.
How has your recent work been influenced by your depression?
Has it helped it Depression is a tricky one. It comes and goes but it is always there. I have to be careful with the choices I make on a daily basis in order not to trigger it. It has definitely influenced me in every aspect of my life, including my work. I wouldn’t say it has helped me but it has obviously shaped what I do as well as how I see the world.
What would you say to someone who said that your art was about titillating the LGBT audience with nude images rather than being artistic?
It is only a part of me and what I do. A small one. Luckily, I’m not limited to talk about myself all the time. I think it is very difficult to classify what is artistic and what is not. I don’t even think it is in my hand to decide that. I’m just doing what I want to do and how I want to do it. I’m almost free and that its extremely valuable to me. If it is art or not… let others decide that.
Can you tell us more about HéCTOR and Scopophilia?
They are my two most immediate projects. I’m travelling this week to Barcelona to start pre-production onHéCTOR. It’s a short film I will be shooting there with a very talented Spanish actor, Milo Taboada. It tells the story of a young man who has just been diagnosed with HIV and the subsequent night he spends with his former lover. I think it is still a very relevant topic with the ever-growing numbers of HIV infections in urban areas.
Scopophilia will be my first feature film. I’m almost done writing the script. It tells the story of Adrian, a depressed man who, following a painful break-up, arrives in a Mediterranean city to embark on a sentimental and self-analytical journey.
Both projects are very intimate and psychological. I can’t wait to start shooting!
Is there anywhere we can read your poetry?
I’m currently working on a book of poems with accompanying images. I’m working with an incredible editor, Luca Zerafa, who is helping me choose and structure the poems. I’m looking to get it published in the near future. At the moment, there are some excerpts and a few full ones on my tumblr.
What other mediums are you looking to branch out into?
I’m not sure yet. Everything is happening in a very natural way. I’m looking into collaborating with other artists. I’ve got a few interesting things coming up with a few painters and photographers.
You explore fetishes in your work. Do you only explore your own fetishes?
A mixture. I do find that my lovers’ fetishes end up becoming mine, too. I’m very turned on by the psychological reasons behind them. I also explore them on my films. Fetishes give my characters a roundness, a fuller view of their personalities.
How did the confessional blog come about?
I’m new at this. I have just started writing and making films. Thus, I’m still on a phase in which I’m the centre of what I do. An infant-like stage. I think it might be part of my development as an artist. I decided to create the blog as a way to ‘kill’ myself. To finish with myself by pouring everything out. My most intimate parts. Hopefully, after I’m empty, I’ll be able to write about others.
What’s been your favourite confession to date?
That’s not an easy answer. I’m not sure if I have a favourite one. They are all a bit painful to expose but at the same time extremely liberating. Every confession takes weight of my shoulders.
What else do you have planned for 2016?
It is going to be a great year for me. I have many other projects in mind. There is a documentary I want to start as soon as I finish everything else. It will be a study on gender and sexuality. And as I said before, I’m excited about collaborating and learning from some great artist I met.
Castro on Facebook
http://the-sodomite.tumblr.com/
https://www.instagram.com/themalegazer/
http://vimeo.com/almitafilms
