About

Puerto Rican artist NiNo was introduced to the world of arts at an early age when his parents noticed how much he enjoyed drawing and painting. When he attended college at the University of Puerto Rico, he joined the National Student Exchange Program which transferred him to Indiana University where he majored in Graphic Design. 

NiNo's experience as an artist has since been very eclectic. It has brought him to designing sets and shows for stage, film, and commercials in Los Angeles. He was part of the design team for NBC’s TV show “American Dream Builders” and has been working as the Art Director/Prop Master for Ricky Martin since 2017.

 NiNo's favorite projects have been creations that bring communities together, notably the public art project, “Múcaro’s Rising”, a basketball court mural located in Puerto Rico. It was the first of its kind on the island sponsored by the 2K Foundation. The project also served as an outreach program to involve the community to paint and refurbish the court, an experience NiNo was proud to lead. Múcaro’s Rising was recognized with a CODAward as one of the 2021 Top 100 commissioned art installations in the world. 

Other public art projects NiNo designed and created are “Got Framed”, a popular interactive art installation at Burning Man (2015 & 2016), recognizing him as the first Puerto Rican to bring art to Burning Man, and the wise woody owl named “MÚCARO” which received the 2017 Burning Man Honoraria Art Grant. He recently received his second Honoraria Art Grant to bring a new interactive art piece “ATABEY” to the 2022 event.

NiNo owes a lot of his big art fabrication and installation experience to his years working at one of the best U.S. art fabrication houses, Carlson Baker Arts. He has had the opportunity to collaborate with renowned artists such as Christian Moeller (“Cactus” at the Henry B. González Convention Center, San Antonio Texas) and Pae White (“Woven Walk” at the LAX, Los Angeles Tom Bradley International Airport).

In 2021 he joined forces with his talented friend Thomas Dambo, fabricating five of his world-renowned troll installations at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine called in “Guardians Of The Seeds”.

What fulfills NiNo the most is creating spaces that provoke thought and conversation. He loves seeing people being stimulated, and better yet, inspired to create, thrive and dream BIG.