My name is Gen Duarte, I'm 27 years old, I started painting in 1999,
I've had a variety of style, then in 2002 I stopped graffiti for personal issues and returned in 2004.
I wanted to do something different, something new.
I started creating and studying new characters, you know.
I started out doing pretty organic drawings and then abstract, then the head came up,
a foot came up, and from there I developed it's style, then came the textures and, you know,
with a constant morph I've been evolving my work.
Since 1999 things have changed, from paint to spray cans.
I think that was a big change, you know.
And the scene, man, a lot have changed, I mean, graffiti nowadays has a lot of styles, you know,
it's not just old school graffiti anymore, we're living in this post graffiti thing, like,
now you get abstract, you get organic, there's 3D,
there's this whole range of possibilities to work graffiti down the streets.
Painting down the street is like, you're affected by everything, you know, man,
people show up, cars honk, the texture on the wall and you suck all that in and put it your work.
But I've learned how to appreciate canvas painting, that also gives me a lot of pleasure,
there's a feeling when you're done, it's like climbing Mount Everest, you know,
when you're done, you look at it and it's like “Man, I've made it”,
and when you come across with what you meant through canvas, it's wonderful.
When I got to sell my first canvas I though to myself maybe I could do a thing, you know,
like an exhibit, you know, try to sell my painting, cause getting a job was getting hard,
so I'll try to live off of it, you know, man,
and there's been bumps on the road but there's four years since
I've been surviving with graffiti and galleries.
I admire Aldemir Martins a lot, I mean, he does some fish drawings that inspire me a lot.
Portinari, Picasso, the cubism phase, it inspires me a lot,
and Os Gêmeos, Vitché, Herbert, great names of graffiti that I carry with me.
But my real inspiration is actually the day to day, being in contact with people.
São Paulo it's a very inspiring city, even tho' it's full of...
even tho' there's a lot of concrete, it's inspiring.
The it thing about graffiti is the fraternity, the info exchange,
this is the great thing about graffiti, I like it a lot,
it's not just drawing down the street, it's a way of being, it goes beyond paint.
