A Writer's Story

A key figure in New York City’s subway art movement, MICO started hitting trains shortly after his family emigrated from Colombia and came to New York City in 1969. An “original school” first generation writer, MICO is regarded among a select group of subway art pioneers that helped pave the way for subsequent generations of writers while laying the foundation for aerosol forms on a global scale.

As a writer MICO became famous for his emphasis on the social and political themes of the day; while most writers simply wrote their names, as many continue to do today, MICO often sought to deliver a poignant message. Shortly after he began writing, MICO realized that New York City’s transit system presented much more than just an opportunity to get his name out. “This was the perfect vehicle for me to communicate my feelings or whatever else I wanted to communicate with the world through my work”, explains the artist; “especially on the subways which traveled all over the city”.

During the early and mid ‘70’s MICO staged a series of politically motivated and socially inclined transit art campaigns. By artfully writing slogans such as “Free Mandela”, “Free Puerto Rico”, “Free Lolita Lebron” and the infamous “Hang Nixon”, MICO tapped into the collective social consciousness of New York City commuters, injecting his own gospel into the urban landscape. A unique talent during aerosol art’s maiden era, MICO would also take part in some of the genre’s earliest exhibitions. In September of 1973 the Razor Gallery in New York City hosted the first formal exhibition of aerosol art; “MICOflag” by MICO was the first painting sold.

By 1975 MICO had all but retired from the subways leaving behind a lasting legacy, part aerosol art pioneer, part guerrilla social activist; a blueprint that would be revisited by many in the years and decades to come. Frustrated with the relatively short life his work had in the transit system, MICO increasingly pursued painting as an outlet for his self-expression. Inspired by the abstract forms of Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol he coined the genre of “Abstract Social Realism”, which he continues to work in today. In a recent interview we had a chance to catch up with MICO and talk about his career as a writer, the political slant of his artwork and much more. Insightful and entertaining, MICO definitely tells it like it is.