Omar-Pascual Castillo
Born in Havana, Cuba, 1971. In 1998 he moved to Granada, Spain. He currently lives in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. Spanish citizen since 2016.
Degree in Education with a specialization in History and Philosophy. Thesis: Aesthetics of the Visual Arts (Estética de las Artes Visuales, 1994). Post-graduate studies in Aesthetics and Critical Theory at the Art Institute of Havana (1994-1996), and Conservation and Museum Management and Universidad Europea Miguel de Cervantes, Valladolid, Spain (2018).
In 1993 he was honored with a mention for the poetry prize Luis Rogelio Nogueras Ciudad San Cristóbal de La Habana for Los Arcanos del Eco. In 1994 he won the prize with Himnos de Ultramar (Poemas-Jazz), and in 1995 he won the Joven Mangle Rojo National Poetry Prize for Candor del Extravío. In 1995 he won the National Prize (AHS, Havana, Cuba) for Palimpsestos Neo-Barrocos (1995–1998), and in 2003 he won the New York-based Cuban Artist’s Fund (CAF) scholarship for his book Hijos de la Marea (Arte Cubano en el Exilio).
He has curated over one hundred exhibitions including José Bedia: Estremecimientos (2004), Barroco y Neobarroco, Ray Smith Deux Machine (2006), Tony Ousrler Mirada pensante (2008), ON PAINTING (2013), and Raúl Cordero Slow art for fast crowds (2022), among many others.
Director of the Atlantic Center of Modern Art (CAAM), Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain (2010-2015), and Director of Nova Invaliden Galerie, Berlin, Germany (2016-2017). Director of the curatorial studies seminar lpgc (2020) and of the 1st LPGC Contemporary Art Encounters, The Taken City (2021) co-curated with Dalia de la Rosa, Suset Sánchez and Octavio Zaya, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
The list of monographs he has edited includes Jorge Galindo, Elixir (2005), Turner, Madrid, Ray Smith (2006), Polígrafa, Barcelona, José Bedia. Obra, 1978–2006 (2007), Tony Oursler: Thinking Gaze (Mirada Pensante )(2008), Raúl Cordero (2010), Ron Gorchov. Donde se oculta el alma (2011) Turner, Madrid, Spain. Jesús Zurita un extraño ser (2019), GEGalería – ArtReport Editions, Monterrey, Mexico.
In 1996, he published Himnos de Ultramar (Poemas-Jazz), Ediciones Extramuros, Havana, Cuba and in 2013 La estela del samurái [una poética], Editorial Dardo, Santiago de Compostela, The publishing houses Hurón Azul published its compilation The Atlantic Experience and Ediciones El Drago published its vibrato collection of poems (2020) Madrid, Spain.
He has published more than two hundred texts in specialized art editions, such as the magazines: Atlántica, art.es, Dardo, Sublime Magazine and ArtNexus.
Omar-Pascual Castillo currently works as an editor and freelance curator.
