Bakpak Durden is a Detroit-based interdisciplinary artist making work about the human condition using a range of mediums including oil, acrylic, and latex paint, graphite and photography to create a hyperrealistic, conceptual style that speaks to their personal narrative and intimate relationship to their subjects. They are a recipient of the PLAYGROUND DETROIT 20/20 Emerging Artists Fellowship award in 2020.
Through extensive research, introspective examination, and an antidisciplinary approach, Durden fuses narrative and visual elements of the Baroque and Afro-Surrealist movements to create deconstructed cinematic experiences or “films,” exploring human consciousness and Spiritual Existence. Durden is well known for creating large-scale murals that depict subjects in transitional states with an emphasis on connecting to the surrounding communities.
“I Feel Like I’ve Been Here Before” is an exhibition at PLAYGROUND DETROIT featuring Bakpak Durden, opening November 13, 2021. The exhibition explores perspective, neurodivergence, and intersectional identity, focusing on the lived experiences we navigate in order to sustain everyday normalcy.
