Alejandro Durán

Alejandro Durán is a multimedia artist whose work addresses the intersection of environmental activism and visual art. Durán transforms international trash washing ashore on Mexico's Caribbean coast into artworks that highlight the threat of plastic pollution. He holds an MA in teaching from Tufts University and an MFA in poetry from the New School for Social Research. Durán has taught youth and adult classes in photography and video and has worked as a museum educator at the Museum of Modern Art and the International Center of Photography.

His long-term project, "Washed Up: Transforming a Trashed Landscape," uses photography and installation to examine the relationship between humanity and nature, focusing on the impact of consumer culture on the environment. Durán identified severe trash problems along the coast of Sian Ka'an, one of Mexico's largest federally protected nature reserves, where ocean currents and storm paths deliver debris from around the world. Through this project, he has documented plastic waste from 58 nations and territories across six continents. Drawing inspiration from Andy Goldsworthy and Robert Smithson, Durán creates works that juxtapose the natural world with consumer waste.

Durán uses international debris to create color-based, site-specific sculptures that blend human intervention with natural processes. These sculptures often mimic natural forms such as algae, roots, rivers, or fruit, reflecting the infiltration of plastics into the environment. His projects include the ephemeral Museo de la Basura (Museum of Garbage) in Sian Ka'an, which features speaking engagements, educational programming, community-based beach cleanups, and environmental art workshops. Durán also works as an educator and advocate for environmental awareness.

Durán has received a Creative Capital Award and Art With Me Tulum's Social Impact Award, and served as Hunter College's artist-in-residence. He has participated in the Bronx Biennial of Latin American Art and has been nominated for the Prix Pictet and the Prix Thun for Art and Ethics. His work has been exhibited at the Weltkulturen Museum in Germany, the Mt. Rokko International Photography Festival in Japan, and Basta con la Plastica, Italy's Ocean Awareness Week. "Washed Up" has been featured in National Geographic and Time Magazine, and appears in the books "Art & Ecology Now," Greta Thunberg's "The Climate Book," and "The History of Art: A Global View" by Thames & Hudson. Durán is the founder of video production company Luma Projects, whose clients include the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Arts & Design, and Columbia University. Through his art, public speaking, and educational initiatives, Durán addresses the environmental impact of disposable culture and plastic pollution.