Genesis Collection

“I've been photographing this tree for years. Whenever I'm home to visit my parents in their little village in the mountains, I always go to see if the tree is still standing.

“Sight is a negotiation between shadow and reflection. Light rebounds through matter. It is never still, it doesn’t age. We, in contrast, are finite and the photograph offers a remedy for our deeply human susceptibility to time. But light is fickle, photography is instrumental, and seeing is just our best guess. What does it mean to see time? In Overview, I make spherical and ellipse cameraless prints using a variety of sculptural tools to reflect and deflect light onto a photosensitive paper’s surface.

“Photography started off as a hobby but subsequently that grew into more. He briefly studied Business Administration in Sunway University before dropping out to pursue a career in photography.

José Castrellón is a New York-based photographer from Panamá. His photographs have been featured in publications such as M Le Monde, De Morgen, Domus, Vice Spain, Esquire Russia, Fisheye Magazine, C International Photo; and in books from editorials such as Gestalten. His work has been exhibited in institutions such as the Tate Modern, London; Museo del Barrio, New York; the Bienal do Mercosul, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Museum of Art and Design, New York; LAXART, Los Angeles; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Rome, Italy; the Medellín Art Museum, Medellín, Colombia; among others.

“Surrender To Christ” is painted on the hill that overlooks Lurigancho, a Peruvian prison in Lima. The white words beckon to both the inmates inside and the civilians outside to find the path to righteousness. In this work, I wanted to blur the lines between society and life inside the prison. Despite the walls and chain-link fences, relationships remain and run deep.