PHOTOGRAPHER TOM DURANTE
“On the Roofs: Not Everything Illegal Is Immoral”
Drawing inspiration from the death-defying heights of high-rise cityscapes, since 2014 NYC based photographer Tom Durante has been on a never-ending quest to capture a perspective that’s overlooked and inaccessible to regular passers by. In September the visual artist presented his work in a group show at Superchief Gallery NFT.
Ever since I began exploring the rooftops of NYC, well it quickly took over my whole life.
Tell us about your greatest inspirations or influences?
My biggest inspiration is New York City. The architecture, vibe, energy, without it I wouldn’t be here with you today! Also the friends I’ve made: Sam, Thurbz, Alex, Justin, E, Drift, Skam, Phaser and the list goes on. These people are such talented and driven individuals and seeing their motivation and creativity peak as well as the way they push me when I need it inspires me beyond belief.
Tell us a bit about your creative process?
The way I photograph the city is a mix between showing the beautiful architecture and the emotions attached to powerful life moments. It all starts with an idea on somewhere to go or an image to coordinate. I spend hours and hours gathering information on places and from there, the dream begins to consume me and the mix between anxiety and excitement keeps me up at night. There’s a strange mix between fight or flight and pure peace. I try to take a minute, breath some fresh air, and listen to the sounds of the city fading in the distance below me to gather my thoughts. From there, it’s all about the visual documentation.
How has the pandemic affected your creativity and how do you see the world changing?
At first it was strange. The whole world changed overnight. There was about a 5 month time span where I didn’t even see New York City and man, I missed it like crazy. My city is my biggest inspiration and without that in sight I began to feel lost. Life is all about adapting and the same way restaurants adapted with outdoor dining, I fine tuned my craft with the change of the times and did things bigger and better than I ever have before.
Who do you consider to be an icon of our time?
If we’re talking about people in my particular field of art, Drift is a huge icon. The dude went from a prison cell to the third highest selling artist on OpenSea within 5 months. If that doesn’t tell you something about his drive and impact in the art world I don’t know what will.
What does wellbeing mean to you?
Over the years, exploring has became incredibly therapeutic for me. As someone who has struggles with mental wellbeing for a large portion of their life, its turned me away from less healthy outlets like drugs and alcohol. Having those moments where you can give something your absolute all and watch your problems fade away as you stare into the city is more meditative for me than anything else in life.
Anything else you would like to share?
Not everything illegal is immoral.
Website: https://www.tomdurantephoto.com/