Nico Amortegui

Colombia native Nico Amortegui has crafted a distinctive style, infused with his encounters with varying cultures and his own family of designers, photographers, architects, and artists. He immigrated to the U.S. in the 1990s, and eventually, found a home in Charlotte with his family. Today, he’s one of the most sought-after muralists in the region. His work here reflects his ongoing, spontaneous process: He’s described it as “full of unapologetic color and is a direct product of my expressed energy, meaning there are no sketches or previous drawings. I work solely from in-the-moment energy and I transfer what I see and feel on to the canvas”—or in this case, a massive garage door on the property. “The urgency and pace I employ to materialize what I see is very real. The rawness of my work exemplifies how my realities were never picture-perfect, as the images I render are not, either.” His work has compared to figures that loom large in art history, like Jean-Michel Basquiat or Pablo Picasso. Yet, standing in front of his murals gives you an experience that is distinctly Armotegui: a controlled cacophony of cultures, experiences, and his own, singular viewpoint.

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