Tripping Animals Brewery started off as a craft beer dream for founders Daniel Chocron, Ignacio Montenegro, Iker Elorriaga, and Juan-Manuel Torres in a garage in Venezuela back in 2011. However, in 2018 the team opened up the doors to its first location in the heart of Doral, Florida.
In this Doral location you can find a special art gallery hub which was pioneered and curated by one of the managers at the location, Selim Castillo. Meet the On the Wall art gallery, where they dedicate one of two of the main walls at the brewery to a single artist every month, the brewery aims to showcase artworks of every form that inspire and provoke thought. Whether you’re a local artist or a visitor of the brewery, the Tripping Animals team invites you to share these visuals, stories and expressions with their community. From their in house craft beer to the collection of works on these walls—art is not just displayed, it’s experienced.
Selim Castillo & Mario De Los Santos
Working with the momentum brought on by the gallery work Castillo alongside coworker Mario De Los Santos Launched Lilypad zine, which is already by its 6th edition. Make sure to visit Tripping Animals at 2685 NW 105TH Ave, Miami Fl 33172 this February to view their newest art installation showcasing a photography collection by artist Gabriel Pinto, which was curated in partnership with artist & curator Melanie Isabel Garcia . Read More about it below:
What originally inspired you to open On The Wall and start Lilypad?
Selim Castillo: On the Wall was a sudden idea I had to give our community a space to share their artwork. Here at Tripping Animals, there are so many artists of every art form, so I wanted to be able to offer a space for us to share and support the works of the people who see this place as their second home. We had these two walls of about 10ft x 10ft that i thought would perfectly suite a gallery wall, and so began the organization of artists and installations. The idea settled into an artist a month, with all proceeds going straight to the artist.
Lily Pad then came a bout as a zine concept that would be a quarterly zine, featuring different art forms but also including the past 3 ‘On the Wall gallery’ artists. The zine began to grow quickly into what feels like a full magazine at this point, which is a 32 page physical copy featuring all kinds of arts from our local community. We just wrapped up our 4th issues, and it’s now entering a transition where instead of featuring many different art forms over issue, it’ll focus on 1 or 2.
Both projects were passion projects that I started and proposed to Tripping Animals which they immediately believed in and wanted to be part of. They’ve funded all printings of each issue of Lily Pad and have supported the gallery wall by upgrading out lighting and giving me the time to install and work with each artist that has been part of the gallery.
What gaps in the Miami art ecosystem did you hope/do you see On the Wall fills for the community? How has the local community responded to On the Wall and Lilypad?
SC: I really am a hermit crab and don’t do anything outside my house and Tripping Animals, but I like to think that we’re creating a space that is less intimidating for artists who maybe have never thought to display their works or didn’t have the connections to a gallery to be able to. Same for people who would love to see art and collect pieces from local artist but may be intimidated walking into a high end gallery. I think the response has been wonderful, month to month I’ve been approached and asked about the next artist. We’ve seen the interest and the community involvement grow slowly.
How do you see the relationship between craft beer and contemporary art?
SC: They’re both arts that come from passion. It’s beautiful to see them coexisting here at the brewery. The craft beer is made in the back which is somewhat hidden from our guests but enjoyed in the front of house at its final form. It’s so nice to be able to grab a beer made in house and walk over to the gallery space to enjoy both.
How do you select artists for the shows and segments of Lilypad?
SC: For On the Wall, it’s been a natural flow of artists i meet that come through the brewery and curiously ask how to show their works. It really has been an organic process. For Lily Pad, it’s very similar, anyone willing to share and write about an art form they’re passionate about, can contribute. I’ll receive their submissions and later work on the design and layout of their pages.
What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced navigating On the Wall, Lilypad and the physical space being within a brewery?
SC: The only challenge has been the time it takes. There’s moments where you feel you have all the time in the world. Then you wake up the next day and realize you have no time at all. The physical limitations of two 10x10 walls or 32 pages are no problem at all. These limitations actually help me make decisions easier and move these projects along. It’s the time it takes to plan and deliver.
Andrew Arocho & Selim Castillo at Tripping Animals
How do you envision On the Wall and Lilypad evolving in the future?
SC: I really don’t have a vision for it further than what already exists. I'm just taking it one month at a time and seeing what comes next.
What drew you to your recent collaboration with CAMP and Andrew Arocho? What do you think it offered our different audiences?
SC: When the collaboration was proposed, I was beyond excited. Considering that this tiny gallery space we started without any know-how on displaying artwork was going to be working with a carefully curated, established art gallery. It made me both intimidated but proud. I think it was able to offer our day to day crowd a special experience with an artists that not only has shared his art in other spaces before but with a story and theme more concentrated that really elevated our gallery space. We were also able to have one of Andrew’s works represented on one of our beer labels which really tied everything together in a way I never thought we’d be able to pull off.
Emerging Photographer Gabriel Pinto Represented by @betacontemporary
Has running On the Wall and Lilypad changed your own perspective on art, collaboration and community building?
SC: It’s made me realize that while art might always be on my mind and wanting more of it in my life is a beautiful feeling, it requires a lot of time and preparation. The reality of that makes it feel a bit harder to deliver sometimes but working with humble and eager artists makes it worth while.
What advice would you give artists/organizers looking to build alternative spaces and platforms in their own communities?
SC: Make sure you really care about it. Not just for the longevity of the space but a lot of artists need the encouragement and support to make it happen. They feed off of your encouragement and willingness to help.