Today we’d like to introduce you to Gerardo Duran.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I was born and raised by a family of immigrants in the neighborhood of Little Village. My father’s hands were made of callous from his blue collar job and my mother was a stayed at home to take care of my brothers and I. My Uncle, however, was a very unique person. He as always interested in making his mind sharper; as a result, he had a ton of random mind games and strange trinkets in his home office. He exposed me to films and helped challenge my brain to see beyond the norm. Near the end of his life, he began to bend and warp photographs he would take and create amazing pieces of art. These experiences became what I believe is one of the roots to my art and essence as a person.
As I got older, I began to experiment with various art forms including comic book art, music, poetry, photography, and film. With each area explored, I continued to discover ways to express myself and eventually decided to pursue a career in Art.
I decided to go to Columbia College Chicago to pursue my passion for film. While there, I learned a lot about storytelling and how to provide structure film and art in general. But while I do agree I learned those things there, I would also say that I equally learned about how to communicate and work with people from all backgrounds. Sometimes, these lessons were learned in a hard way and many relationships were lost, but at the end of the day, I am blessed to have been exposed to such difficult and toxic situations because they have made me stronger and more confident with what I am doing.
Above all, the number one takes away from my college experience was what it means to be a Mexican American in the United States. I have never before been exposed to such privileged and close-minded people in my life (fellow students and sometimes teachers alike), people who have had everything given to them their whole lives and who couldn’t understand a perspective of a poor brown boy from the southwest side of Chicago even if they wanted to. Now, I know I might sound spiteful, but I want to make it clear that I do not hate them in any way. I wish them all luck in their endeavors and hope nothing but success in their lives. But I will say that when I would take my long commute back home and return my tired father and mother, that’s when I saw the value in family, the value in my community, and the value in my culture.
All of these experiences combined have pushed me to create art with no boundaries, I want to break and bend media to its limits to help express the impossibilities that have been whispered amongst my community. I want to live life, be connected to the infinite, and help change the world. But above all, I want to make my parents, and the people in my barrio proud.
Please tell us about your art.
I wear many hats when it comes to my Art. I’m a full-time filmmaker creating documentaries, music videos, and narrative films whenever they come my way. Above all, I love to create and work with projects that express the connectivity of all people.
I believe that I am an extension of the creator and the infinite. I believe that you the reader are also an extension of the creator and the infinite. I believe that we are all god seeing ourselves from different points of view. There’s divinity in all of us, therefore, why would I want to hurt someone who is literally an extension of myself? The world and the stars are continuing to expand, one day the sun will explode or something horrible will happen and everything that we have ever created as a human race will vanish into dust. Everything means nothing, but when we understand that, we have to question where all of this comes from. Obviously from nothing.
Once we understand that everything means nothing and that we are all an extension of ourselves, one might feel this feeling of uselessness. What is the point of living? Why am I here? Do I have a purpose?
Life is made of balance, the universe is perfection, and when you think of the infinite we must also think of its absolute counter. This counter being living in this moment right now through your very own eyes. Be here, be alive, dance, sing, love, and enjoy the ride. You are the center of the universe, no one is living life the way you are.
If we’re blessed enough to have our death bed we can either regret our decisions or be like, “That was awesome! Peace out guys!” I want to make sure that I say rock on!
That is what my artwork stands for, that is what I want and hope for everyone to experience and become conscious of.
The purpose of life is to give purpose to your life.
Let’s go something crazy!
What do you think about conditions for artists today? Has life become easier or harder for artists in recent years? What can cities like ours do to encourage and help art and artists thrive?
The art world right now is like the wild wild west. But overall I do feel like things have gotten better for an artist, especially with the introduction of Social Media.
However, I do feel like the one fault that is happening in the art world right now is the actions that art museums are taking right now. Bigger establishments need to be more active in engaging different artist and helping them grow. Museums are not what they used to be, they should figure out ways to be more engaging and create it more of an experience above all.
The MCA is a great example of what to do.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Follow me on Instagram at: @Starman.duran.
See my current projects, follow my adventures, listen to my random rants, and help support by simply sharing my projects or leaving a like and comment!
Contact Info:
- Address: 2738 s Kolin, Chicago
- Phone: 7732559885
- Email: gerardoduran.work@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starman.duran/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gerry.duran.12?ref=bookmarks
Image Credit:
Lester Rey & Lilastar, Alex Duran, Richard Juarez (Mán Cub) in music video ‘ Village Song’, frame from music video, ‘Mán Cub – Village Song, frame from music video, ‘ Mán Cub – Paola, Jamari Harrington, Richard Juarez
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
