“Mabelin Castellanos is a Cuban fiber artist based in Miami. She interprets life as seen from her window, often made from scrap fabrics. Her practice is marked by self-reflection, pleasant observations, and a tender reconstructing of identity. Mabela’s body of work is a series of textile snapshots honoring the fleeting beauty in moments of life most would describe as trivial. ” Maria Gabriela Di Giammarco, curator of the CAMP gallery.
When did you know you wanted to be an artist?
In my forties and out of pain. I couldn’t get my sons out of Cuba before the conscription, I was suicidal. I enrolled in glasswork classes at the community college, and that saved me. I was a scientist at the time, but I was hooked. The opening of the kiln… to see the result of my creation gave me the same adrenaline rush as the analysis of the results after an experiment.
