VOLUME 12, NUMBER 21 • MAY 4, 2001

Electrician and Visiting Student Collaborate on Artwork Featured in Brooklyn Exhibit

While the art on campus may inspire Rockefeller scientists in their work, long-time Rockefeller electrician and artist Roberto Gualtieri says the reverse is true for him.

Jan Schmoranzer (seated) and Roberto Gualtieri teamed up to create an art piece for a gallery show (top).

"I’m continually inspired by the science here," he says. "And you can see evidence of this in my latest work."Recently, Gualtieri, who is known as "Coco" to friends and family, teamed up with Jan Schmoranzer, a visiting student from Germany, to create an art piece for his latest gallery show. The work, which involves video images of cellular organelles in motion, is now on display at the Mesquita Calvo Gallery in Brooklyn.

An original graffiti artist and subway "writer" of the 1970s, Gualtieri combined his trademark signature with Schmoranzer’s videos, such that colorful, swimming organelles form one of the "o"s in Coco. Some of Gualtieri’s other works currently on display also resemble cells; in one piece, his signature looks more like a mass of dividing cells than a word.

"I wanted to put some organic elements into my art," says Gualtieri.Schmoranzer, a student in Professor Sanford Simon’s lab, uses fluorescence microscopy to study exocytosis, the process by which proteins are excreted from the cell. "I enjoyed the collaboration very much," he says. "I hope we get a chance to work together again soon."

Nicknamed "Coco" at the age of three months by his parents, Gualtieri grew up in a supportive family environment in upper west Harlem. His father, a former Rockefeller animal caretaker originally from Brazil, always encouraged Gualtieri’s artwork. In fact, the two of them used to have drawing competitions on napkins at the kitchen table. Gualtieri’s mother is originally from Puerto Rico.

As a teenager, Gualtieri spray-painted his name around the city: on building walls and subway cars. He says that this practice of writing one’s name was a form of communication that united youth from a variety of backgrounds. "A lot of negative barriers were broken down," he says.

In 1972, he teamed up with other local graffiti artists to form the United Graffiti Artists, whose mission was to rechannel the energy of street artists onto canvas. The organization was a huge s uccess. After they painted thebackdrop of a Joffrey Ballet production of Twyla Tharp’s Deuce Coupe, a media frenzy ensued and several gallery shows followed.

Since coming to Rockefeller in 1988, Gualtieri has had over a dozen shows in New York City. One of his original paintings, "Hotdog," which depicts his signature covered in a layer of mustard, currently goes for $18,000. Gualtieri recently received an offer for $13,000, but declined it, he says, "because it is a work that has historical significance and value."

For now, Gualtieri is busy working on the expansion of the Child and Family Center at Rockefeller, but he hopes to continue to integrate science into his artwork. For his next project, he’s toying with the idea of setting up a mock laboratory in a gallery, replete with petri dishes and pipettes.

"Every single thing that goes on in this place influences my artwork," he says. "I feel fortunate to be here."

Gualtieri’s artwork will be on display at the Mesquita Calvo Gallery at 61 Greenpoint Ave., 3rd floor, No. 14, Brooklyn, until Sun., May 13. The gallery is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 to 7 p.m. by appointment only. For more information call (718) 349-8954.