Chicago Residents: Studio Zirbel

This film is an homage to my friend Frank Zirbel, an extraordinary artist whose life and work have profoundly impacted me since our chance encounter back in 2022. I first met Frank while shooting a music video for a local artist. We were only in his studio briefly, but the amount of artwork on his walls, and their varying styles, amazed me. Frank’s storefront functions as both his home and his gallery. At the end of the shoot, I told him I would love to bring in a camera and better understand his world.
Over the next few months, I started to visit Frank at the store. I was in my early twenties, just out of school, and Frank was in his late sixties at the time. I have a distant father and Frank never had kids, so our conversations felt more and more like we were fulfilling something that we both lacked. Each time I visited, I barely did any talking—the experiences and insights that Frank shared left a deep impression on me as a young artist. Frank works outside the fringes. He lives through his work and doesn’t compromise. He opens his gallery when he decides to and sells his art when he wants to sell it.
In crafting this film, my aim was to replicate the intimate experience of conversing with Frank in his own space. Just as our discussions flowed from one topic to another, I structured the narrative to reveal key facets of Frank's life organically. All of this information allows me to create an experience for the audience of what it is like to grab a beer and learn about his life.
Over the course of our interviews, I took inspiration from the tangential styles of Werner Herzog and Agnes Varda. By asking broad questions, we get a better chance at exploring Frank’s mind. I also wanted to ensure that we had an interesting and intimate angle of Frank for the interview, so I used Johanthan Demme’s close-up style. Through slow, lingering shots, we enter further into his world.
Through the lens of “Chicago Residents,” a series I hope to continue, I aim to build portraits of the city’s vibrant personalities and locales. Through honest and unfiltered storytelling, I hope to bridge the gap between audience and subject. I believe it is important to engage with art that you know another human was behind. “Chicago Residents'' will be an ongoing project that connects the world to Chicago.
Working on this film has been a labor of love, made possible by the collaboration of talented individuals like composer Daniel Frieland and our dedicated camera crew. Frank is a dear friend of mine and we talk every few weeks over a beer about life and art. This documentary is just a piece of our friendship. I’m happy to have this documentation and excited to share it with the world.