Frédéric Castiau (°1963 Brussels)

Master in Audiovisual Arts (RITCS, Brussels)
fcpcastiau(at)gmail.com | mob: +32 (0)495 18 46 23

My work is deeply rooted in my personal experiences and reflections, navigating the unpredictable intersections of privilege and chance as seen through the lens of my own life. Growing up with the awareness of white male privilege and the arbitrary nature of birthplace and circumstance, I draw directly from these realities to interrogate how such forces shape both individual and collective existence. This self-reflection is not only the foundation of my ideas but also an intrinsic part of my creative process, where I actively engage with chance as both a method and a subject.

I work across a variety of media, including painting, video, installation, and collage, each of which serves as a medium to explore tensions I’ve observed and lived through—particularly those between control and surrender. My collages, in particular, embody chance in their making, emerging from an intuitive process that allows randomness to shape form and meaning, mirroring the unpredictability of life itself. They feature sharply defined, technically immaculate photographic images, which are then transformed through tactile, corporeal interventions. These works often serve as catalysts, influencing or resonating with themes explored in my other pieces.

At the heart of my practice is a commitment to the ethos of the laborer, rooted in the understanding that meaningful work requires both sustained effort and a deep engagement with material and concept. This labor mirrors my own introspective efforts to reconcile the tensions of privilege and critique within my own life.

My position as an artist is inherently paradoxical, as I am both a product of and a participant in the very systems I aim to question. This duality is not abstract; it is a lived reality that I grapple with daily, and it forms a critical tension within my work. Through this lens, my art becomes a space where contradictions—between creation and critique, privilege and accountability, certainty and uncertainty—are not resolved but held in productive flux. These spaces of ambiguity invite audiences to reflect not only on the external world but also on their own roles and positions within it, mirroring my ongoing exploration of my place in these dynamics.

18 January 2025