COCO144
Title: Barebones, Metal, and Wood
Medium: Mixed Media
COCO144, Roberto Gualtieri was born in 1956 in New York City. In 1969 when COCO was just
14 years old, He began writing his name on the streets and subways of New York City in late
1969, making him a pioneer of the graffiti/aerosol movement.
COCO grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Harlem on 144 Street during the 60s and
70s, amidst historic social and political changes in the United States that mirrored changes to
the urban landscape. While in junior high school, he began to see the names of neighborhood
personalities written repeatedly on walls across New York City. COCO deeply identified with
the new visual language blooming across the city and quickly became a central propagator of
it. While painting in the New York City subway system, COCO introduced the use of the stencil;
making him the first writer to spearhead this technique. From 1970–1972, the aerosol writing
community recognized COCO as “all city” signifying that his name, or tag, was everywhere.
By 1973, COCO transitioned from the subway writing culture to working on paper and painting
on canvas as part of the collective UGA (United Graffiti Artists). UGA brought subway aerosol
writing aboveground, from the trains, and into the gallery scene in downtown Manhattan. In
September of 1973, COCO was featured at the Razor Gallery in a groundbreaking exhibition
titled “UGA”, which shifted the public’s perception of graffiti and ushered in a new era for an art
form that would soon become a global cultural phenomenon.
In 1974, his work was exhibited at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago and in 1975
at Artists Space in New York City. In 2008, 2014, and 2016, COCO was commissioned to paint
a series of murals relating to scientific research conducted in the laboratories at Rockefeller
University. COCO’s contributions to the aerosol culture as both a pioneer and innovator
continue to be celebrated and recognized.
In 2009, he was featured in the Cartier Foundation’s Born in the Streets exhibit in Paris, and in
2011, he was included in The Art in the Streets exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in
Los Angeles. In 2013, he participated in Luciano Benneton’s Imago Mundi exhibition at the
Querini Stampalia Foundation, Venice. From 2017-2019 COCO’s work was spotlighted in Wall
Writers at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, Beyond the Streets at Los Angeles, and
Brooklyn, NY.
In the last 50 years, COCO’s work has evolved into the technical and abstract. He continues to
write and paint his name, in variations of colors, textures, lines, forms, and cut shapes, with
symbols on different materials creating visual montages. COCO currently lives and works in
New York City.
Title: Barebones, Metal, and Wood
Medium: Mixed Media
COCO144, Roberto Gualtieri was born in 1956 in New York City. In 1969 when COCO was just
14 years old, He began writing his name on the streets and subways of New York City in late
1969, making him a pioneer of the graffiti/aerosol movement.
COCO grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Harlem on 144 Street during the 60s and
70s, amidst historic social and political changes in the United States that mirrored changes to
the urban landscape. While in junior high school, he began to see the names of neighborhood
personalities written repeatedly on walls across New York City. COCO deeply identified with
the new visual language blooming across the city and quickly became a central propagator of
it. While painting in the New York City subway system, COCO introduced the use of the stencil;
making him the first writer to spearhead this technique. From 1970–1972, the aerosol writing
community recognized COCO as “all city” signifying that his name, or tag, was everywhere.
By 1973, COCO transitioned from the subway writing culture to working on paper and painting
on canvas as part of the collective UGA (United Graffiti Artists). UGA brought subway aerosol
writing aboveground, from the trains, and into the gallery scene in downtown Manhattan. In
September of 1973, COCO was featured at the Razor Gallery in a groundbreaking exhibition
titled “UGA”, which shifted the public’s perception of graffiti and ushered in a new era for an art
form that would soon become a global cultural phenomenon.
In 1974, his work was exhibited at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago and in 1975
at Artists Space in New York City. In 2008, 2014, and 2016, COCO was commissioned to paint
a series of murals relating to scientific research conducted in the laboratories at Rockefeller
University. COCO’s contributions to the aerosol culture as both a pioneer and innovator
continue to be celebrated and recognized.
In 2009, he was featured in the Cartier Foundation’s Born in the Streets exhibit in Paris, and in
2011, he was included in The Art in the Streets exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in
Los Angeles. In 2013, he participated in Luciano Benneton’s Imago Mundi exhibition at the
Querini Stampalia Foundation, Venice. From 2017-2019 COCO’s work was spotlighted in Wall
Writers at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, Beyond the Streets at Los Angeles, and
Brooklyn, NY.
In the last 50 years, COCO’s work has evolved into the technical and abstract. He continues to
write and paint his name, in variations of colors, textures, lines, forms, and cut shapes, with
symbols on different materials creating visual montages. COCO currently lives and works in
New York City.
Title: Barebones, Metal, and Wood
Medium: Mixed Media
COCO144, Roberto Gualtieri was born in 1956 in New York City. In 1969 when COCO was just
14 years old, He began writing his name on the streets and subways of New York City in late
1969, making him a pioneer of the graffiti/aerosol movement.
COCO grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Harlem on 144 Street during the 60s and
70s, amidst historic social and political changes in the United States that mirrored changes to
the urban landscape. While in junior high school, he began to see the names of neighborhood
personalities written repeatedly on walls across New York City. COCO deeply identified with
the new visual language blooming across the city and quickly became a central propagator of
it. While painting in the New York City subway system, COCO introduced the use of the stencil;
making him the first writer to spearhead this technique. From 1970–1972, the aerosol writing
community recognized COCO as “all city” signifying that his name, or tag, was everywhere.
By 1973, COCO transitioned from the subway writing culture to working on paper and painting
on canvas as part of the collective UGA (United Graffiti Artists). UGA brought subway aerosol
writing aboveground, from the trains, and into the gallery scene in downtown Manhattan. In
September of 1973, COCO was featured at the Razor Gallery in a groundbreaking exhibition
titled “UGA”, which shifted the public’s perception of graffiti and ushered in a new era for an art
form that would soon become a global cultural phenomenon.
In 1974, his work was exhibited at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago and in 1975
at Artists Space in New York City. In 2008, 2014, and 2016, COCO was commissioned to paint
a series of murals relating to scientific research conducted in the laboratories at Rockefeller
University. COCO’s contributions to the aerosol culture as both a pioneer and innovator
continue to be celebrated and recognized.
In 2009, he was featured in the Cartier Foundation’s Born in the Streets exhibit in Paris, and in
2011, he was included in The Art in the Streets exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in
Los Angeles. In 2013, he participated in Luciano Benneton’s Imago Mundi exhibition at the
Querini Stampalia Foundation, Venice. From 2017-2019 COCO’s work was spotlighted in Wall
Writers at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, Beyond the Streets at Los Angeles, and
Brooklyn, NY.
In the last 50 years, COCO’s work has evolved into the technical and abstract. He continues to
write and paint his name, in variations of colors, textures, lines, forms, and cut shapes, with
symbols on different materials creating visual montages. COCO currently lives and works in
New York City.