COCO 144 (Roberto Gualtieri) is a native New Yorker and a pioneer of the subway aerosol movement. In Late 1969 he began writing his name on the streets, then the subways. In 1972 he innovated the use of the stencil, allowing him to paint his unique style citywide.
COCO transitioned from subway writing onto canvas and cofounded the collective United Graffiti Artists (UGA). In 1973, he introduced subway aerosol writing in groundbreaking show at the Razor Gallery in Soho. This pivotal event shifted the public's perception of graffiti and ushered in a new art form that would become a global cultural phenomenon.
Coco's work has been exhibited at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Artists Space in New York City, The Ninth Biennial in Havana, Cuba, The Cartier Foundation in Paris, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, Colorado.
COCO 144 currently lives and paints in New York City
