Bio

Doran Starks is a self-taught artist, designer, and creator under his brand “GDMRNGWORLD” - a creative platform used to tell stories of emotion, hope and triumph through various artistic mediums. Initially using illustration as his main medium, Doran based most of his subject matter around his love for cartoons, 90’s pop culture, and music heavily based in southern culture. Upon graduating from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor’s in Fine Art, he decided to pursue a full entrepreneurial career in the Arts. After gaining notoriety for his creative work with Atlanta’s 808 MAFIA, a contract with Toyota Showcase (a group of creatives implored to develop content for music festivals such as A3C and AFROPUNK) allowed him to relocate from his home in Cincinnati, Ohio to Atlanta in 2018 where he currently resides. His style can be described as pop and playful, yet with serious undertones, using targeted colors to provoke emotional responses. The signature “Sun Symbol” in all his works represents “A New Beginning”. As an artist, Doran’s ultimate goal is to establish an environment in which other artists, particularly minorities, can learn, develop, and access the opportunities to make a living off of their creativity.

Website: www.behance.net/d_starks

Social Media: @d_starks (IG and Twitter)

Artist Statement

The South is rich with stories of triumph through some of the harshest conditions humanity has had to face. One of those conditions is "The Trap", a term that is synonymous with a large portion of Atlanta's music scene and a way of life that has entered into the mainstream as a term of hustling. With tenacity and talent, select artists have transcended these conditions and established a new beginning for themselves, their families, and communities