Today we’d like to introduce you to NiNo Alicea.
NiNo, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
To be able to communicate my professional experience as an artist I’m going to start from the beginning. I was born Rodolfo Antonino Alicea Hernandez. Thankfully, everyone calls me El NiNo.
One day at age 7, I decided to grab a piece of paper and draw my Dad with a drink in his hand while he was watching television. When I was done, I proudly showed the drawing to my parents. To my surprise shortly thereafter, I was taking after-school drawing lessons. I remember resenting the lessons while my brother got to play basketball, even though I didn’t care for basketball. I was very young and naive. As an adult I’m forever grateful to my parents who saw a different talent in me.
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, I moved to the states in 1990. I had always been attracted to American culture through what I was able to see on television. I was determined to make the move one way or another. I joined the National Exchange Student Program during my Sophomore year and transferred to IPFW in Indiana. There I finished my B.A. of Fine Arts in Graphic Design with a minor in Theatre.
I moved to Los Angeles in 1993. Here I held all kinds of jobs necessary to keep me afloat in this expensive city. Jobs that unfortunately took my time away from painting and drawing but they were necessary to continue my journey. I always knew that one day I would come back to my passion.
Several years ago, I had a big awakening and decided to pursue my talent as an artist again. It started with painting a nursery mural. Thanks to that experience I did another project, a forest mural, consisting of 4 panels executed in black light paint. I followed those up with several more and consequently fell in love with large scale art.
My first interactive art installation at Burning Man was “Got Framed”. It marked me as the first Puerto Rican to ever bring large scale art to the event. It was successful both years, 2014 and 2015. Many pictures can be found in the IG account: @Got_Framed. In 2016, I wanted to go bigger. I designed MÚCARO, a wise and magical woody owl that stood 32’ tall with a head that rotated 360º. It received the Honoraria Art Grant from Burning Man in 2017 and was extremely well received on Playa. My crew and I loved hearing stories about “The Owl” and what it meant to those that shared their experience with us. Photos can be found in the IG account: @mucaro_bm.
Earlier this year, I received another grant from Burning Man, a Global Arts Grant, to build a version of MÚCARO in Puerto Rico to be used as a classroom to educate visitors on significant topics such as sustainability. It is currently in the planning stage and will be installed at the Ricky Martin Foundation-Centro Tau, in Puerto Rico in 2019.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My experience as an artist in Los Angeles has been very eclectic. In the last 10 years, I produced shows and sets for stage, film, and commercials. The latest film for which i was a production designer, “Unlovable”, won a Jury Award at the SXSW Conference and is receiving a lot of great press. I was the Art Director for Ricky Martin’s “ALL IN” residency show in Las Vegas. I have created movie sets, art installations and a great number of props. My latest art installation called “Just My Type” was designed for the film industry organization NALIP. This popular installation can be found at #weareinclusion. To facilitate finding my eclectic range of work on the web, I created two hashtags: #leaveittonino and #elninoalicea
Over the last several years, I have been a part of teams that have fabricated and installed art at the Los Angeles International Airport, LA Zoo and San Antonio Convention Center in Texas. I’ve also worked as a visual art and design mentor for the non-profit organization, Ruckus Roots. I feel it is very important to inspire youth through art.
I have found myself enjoying and feeling a different satisfaction for big canvases, big walls and big art installations. Feeling the freedom to imagine something in a bigger scale, I designed Got Framed in 2014 to honor my Abuela Rosamelia on her 91st Birthday with 91 roses surrounding the frame. It was a very successfully art installation at Burning Man 2015 & 2016. In 2017, I designed MÚCARO and had the honor to receive the 2017 Honoraria Art Grant from Burning Man. This piece was dedicated to teachers and education, one teacher in particular, Mrs Alicea. My Mom who taught in Puerto Rico for more than 45 years. Thanks to a dream team the experience was magical, our woody wise 32’ tall owl became a reality. It was extremely well-received and our crew’s passion and integrity were apparent to Burning Man organizers as well: “It was amazing, start to finish, and you’re an absolute example of doing it 100% totally right and just knocking it out of the park. It was beautiful, it was safe, it looked even BETTER than the drawings proposed. You were built on time, the burn was spectacular, and you did it all while being so sweet and smiling and cheerful and kind.”- Brody Scotland, Logistics and Analytics Coordinator at Burning Man
In 2018, I had the honor of receiving the Burning Man Global Art Grant to bring the spirit of my MÚCARO to Puerto Rico and create a special version of our magical owl, providing healing and creative solutions to an island in need. The space will be used as a classroom to educate the Puerto Rican community on significant and timely subjects such as sustainability and how it can empower them to rebuild their lives. This time, the exterior will be constructed from repurposed fallen trees and rubble from the devastation of the hurricanes caused throughout the island. Our goal is to invite the Puerto Rican community, local artists, teachers, children and youth to be involved in the creation of MÚCARO. This will not only provide work for locals, but create a community that is committed to bring inspiration and healing for others. When we work together on a goal that is bigger than ourselves, that is magic.
Most recently, I visited Puerto Rico and have been chosen to be the local artist to design a basketball court through the wonderful organization Project Backboard
Now with the professional artistic background I acquired over the years, I enjoy creations that bring communities together and what fulfills me the most is creating spaces that provoke thought and conversation. I love seeing people stimulated and better yet, inspired to create and dream big. That is my ultimate goal.
How can artists connect with other artists?
I feel blessed and honored to have found a very supportive community I call family but it didn’t just happen. It took time. Being patient and staying active was key to my process. Figuring out my own personal points of interest and meeting other like-minded individuals opened doors to my artistic satisfaction.
I also recommend to intern, find part-time work, or be around the industry you want to be involved in. I see a lot of people moving to LA in the pursuit of their dreams, and then getting sidetracked by working in industries they don’t want to be part of. They end up feeling trapped. I think every individual should have some struggle in their industry, that way when you are in it, you won’t take it for granted. Artists create. That’s our mission. Stay focused.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
Updates can be found on my website: www.leaveittonino.com
Contact Info:
- Website: www.LeaveItToNiNo.com
- Email: mucaro@leaveittonino.
com - Instagram: www.instagram.com/
mucaro_bm - Facebook: www.facebook.com/
LeaveItToNiNo - Other: www.ruckusroots.org
Image Credit:
Patrick Kelley
Luc Rocher
Evan Dillon
Wendell Delano
Denise Truscello
Mark Lord
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
