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| “I took part in Autograf because Peter Sutherland is an amazing photographer with a genuine respect and understanding of graffiti and the people who do it.” —NATO Born in Manhattan in 1975, and raised in Jackson Heights, Queens, NATO began writing “NATO” in 1988 but had a few aliases prior to that. “I got into graffiti as a wee lad riding the 7 train high above the streets of Queens County,” NATO recalls. “Knees on the seats, face pressed against the glass, I would ask my mother, ‘How do they get on the roofs and do that?’ ”Don’t look at that, it's bad" she would answer, not seeing the sparkle in my baby browns. And so it began, my life as a graffiti writer. “I must have been about eight or nine when I became the king of every pole on my block...but eventually rooftops would become my specialty, only fitting I suppose—the Vandal Squad has my file, they could tell you more,” NATO states, referring inquiries to the anti-graffiti task force of the New York City Police Department, “It was a fun ride, the whole way. I wouldn’t change a thing. ”My street-bombing career came to a screeching halt in the year 2000, when I caught a felony charge. The day after knocking out three trains, end-to-end with etch-bath (it’s the stuff kids use to write their names on windows), the Vandal Squad came to my crib and arrested me....But instead of rolling over and dying, I absorbed it and used the energy to re-invent myself.” Today, NATO is the Graffiti Editor of YRB NYC magazine, in which his four-page section keeps the tri-state area up-to-date with the latest in New York City graffiti news. He freelances as a writer and photographer for Frank 151 and also does occasional articles for Mass Appeal magazine. Represented by the original graffiti gallery in New York City, the Martinez Gallery in Brooklyn, NATO has shown his sculptures, paintings, and photos in numerous group shows, as well as most recently exhibiting at the Jeffrey Charles Gallery, London, in a group show called “Bombers,” which included the work of fellow writers JA, SKUF, VEEFER, EARSNOT, and GIZ. “The sculptures I showed in London were old, rusted spray cans left behind at the scene of the crime. I excavated them, brought them home, and gave them new life by tagging them with colorful, raised lettering and mounting the best ones on 7 x 10 foot wood backdrops. Since I collected so many, I tied together in pairs the ones that didn’t get mounted and threw ‘em over wires like I would sneakers when I was a kid. Sometimes I felt more like an archaeologist than a graffiti writer.” The only American artist chosen for a group show at The MUSAC [Spain’s Museo De Arte Contemporáneo], León, NATO’s work will also appear in FILES, a four-page spread in the accompanying catalogue for the exhibition, published in February 2004. In 2002, NATO participated in the international indoor/outdoor visual experience NOVIEMBRE PUBLICO. Curated by Antonio Zaya for the inauguration of Martinez Gallery’s Brooklyn space, the exhibition also included Egyptian sculptor Mona Marzouk, painter and performance artist Charo Oquet, Brazilian artist Fabiana De Barros, and colleagues EARSNOT (New York) and MOSCO (Mexico). |
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