Artist takes cultural journey in 'Inafa' maolek: To Make Good'

Within the walls of the Castro Art Gallery inside the Tumon Sands Plaza, artist Jerrold Castro exhibits his journey exploring the realm of fine art.  

His first solo show, 'Inafa' Maolek: To Make Good' was recently unveiled to the public.

It's a journey to understand cultural identity and reflects upon the impact of centuries of colonial influences on the CHamoru culture. For Castro, art is in his blood.

"I grew up surrounded by art," he says. "A lot of family members are artists, graphic artists, fine artists, teachers. So I've always been exposed to art and it's always been around me, and I just grew up naturally wanting to do it."  

While attending George Washington High School in the 1990s, Castro would provide artwork for yearbooks and even wall murals. After graduating, he knew he wanted to expand on his passion and work on his craftsmanship. Castro, who holds a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Painting from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Visual Arts from the University of Washington in Seattle said when putting together this collection, he wanted to explore his culture.

"When I left the island, I knew that I had something special in my culture," he said. "Going to University of Washington and being in the military something that needs to be preserved on art culture."

Roughly 19 pieces are on display at the Castro Art Gallery, which is located on the second floor of the Tumon Sands Plaza. They're part of his thesis project that started back in 2015 and is an exploratory journey of trying to figure out his culture and understanding his cultural identity.

There's a lot of emotion that goes into the work," he said. "As I start reading the history, and understanding all the different things that have happened, it personally for me and my understanding it becomes a lot of sad, angry, proud feelings that helped to define who I am and my cultural identity."

Inafa'maolek: To Make Good runs from now till May 17. For more information on Castro and his work, you can visit: jerrolddwaynecastro.com

"I know there are a lot of artists out there that have strong, excellent work...so come on over," he says.