“It felt like everything exploded” Montreal based visual artist Téa Castrataro told me during our interview this past May. For Castrataro, collaging opened a world of possibilities after a three-year hiatus from art. They had always sketched but never explored the medium of collage until a friend suggested it. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, as everyone started picking up hobbies, Castrataro decided to revisit visual arts. Castrataro explained to me how initially, they had written off collaging as a generic medium in which artists could not develop a unique style. Flipping through Castrato’s portfolio of vibrant mixed media compositions, however, it is undeniable that they have tailored a distinctive approach with this medium.
I could hear passion ring through Castrataro’s voice when they described making their first collage to me. It was a flurry of ripped magazines, paint, and paper they said. National Geographic Magazine and prints found online, they explained, are their main archives for the images placed in their college compositions. For Castrataro, collaging knows no bounds and expression is unrestricted by ability. Anything you can imagine, they reflected, can be perfectly and articulately displayed on paper.
A few months after completing their first collage piece, Castrataro decided to open their business, FlintyFae. It began with an Instagram page, @flintyfae, which picked up a significant following over time. In fact, social media platforms have been central to Castrataro’s artistic process, both for personal inspiration and community building.
“That is where my interest in collage grew… I found artists on Instagram that were doing the type of collage that I really liked... and that kind of opened the door to what I consider my style”
The digital vernacular is clearly present in Castrataro’s style. Photographs are interjected with bold, colorful graphics and lines of emotive text. Often, they collage using the song lyrics of contemporary musicians such as Hozier, Adrianne Lenker, Ethel Cain, and Phoebe Bridgers. Music, they explain, is an important source of inspiration ideas are born from their visualizations of songs. The texts found in Castrataro’s work are also pulled from personal writing. A lively interplay between text and images exists within Castrataro’s collage pieces. “There is no boundary between words and art”, they reflect, the two mediums are feeding and morphing into one another.
Drawing inspiration from the work of other artists in their immediate community, but also online is crucial in Castrataro artistic process. The digital world, they note, is a fantastic tool for the artistic community because it offers a space for everybody. In Castrataro’s opinion, art found on niche Instagram accounts is the most inspiring. Castrataro turns to what they describe as, the messy and visceral creations of the artist @smalldweeb on Instagram, as some of their favorite online art pages. Castrataro told me that another one of their favorite artists is Keith Haring, citing their love for his use of vibrant colors, bold visuals, and his personal story. Castrataro explained that one of their first tattoos was inspired by Keith Haring.
Castrataro’s collages incorporate a variety themes, including grief, bodily discomfort, mental illness, and resilience. These topics, they believe, have a unifying power among artists and viewers. Knowing that their art resonates with their viewers is the driving force which propels their work.
The cathartic process of making and sharing art is likewise important to Castrataro. They understand artistic expression as a mechanism to express experience, which both alleviates their struggles and attracts those that deal with the same things.
“How can I not talk about it when it's what I deal with, like, everyday kind of thing.”
Instagram has certainly offered an unprecedented opportunity to connect with other artists, they explain. The communal aspects of the art world are central to Castrataro’s love for creation and they see this as instrumental in building networks with other trans artists. Queerness is interwoven throughout their art. “If I wasn’t queer, I wouldn’t be making the art that I make” they told me. Through addressing queerness, Castrataro is able to celebrate and assert their own identity. No matter how other people perceive queerness, in Castrataro’s eyes, by making art they are able to unapologetically and irrevocably take up space.
In Montreal, Castrataro often sets up booths at markets and pop-up shops, where they sell prints, stickers, and other goods. They recently have begun printmaking and have released a line of linocut printed tote bags. Another recent project is the next instalment of their zine about Montreal. Like much of their work, the zine will explore the fantastic, teeming with heartbreak and hope. Castrataro is inspired by the paradoxical feeling of being lonely in the city despite being physically surrounded by so many people. Their recent move to Mile-End, a place flowing with queerness and creativity, they explain, changed their relationship with Montreal.
From almost walking away from art entirely to becoming a well-established member of the digital and Montreal artist community, Castrataro has had an unconventional journey. Their personal struggles and successes are illustrated throughout their maximalist designs that drip with color, intensity, and soul. Through art, Castrataro has foraged a digital environment for queer collage.
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