Instagram: @hektad._official

Location: Lexington b/t 125th & 124th

Hektad is a New York City graffiti pioneer who has been creating since 1982. Once you know his style of work, you’ll spot his other creations around the city — all based on love and making audiences smile.

Instagram: @el_cekis

Location: Lexington b/t 125th & 124th

Nelson Rivas, better known by his street name El Cekis, is a highly regarded graffiti artist from Chile. Born in Santiago in 1976, El Cekis began painting on the streets in the early 1990s, and has gained recognition for his work not only in Chile but also around the world. His work integrates nature into the urban landscape, always with colors that pop. (Note: This mural no longer exists, as it was replaced by the next mural in this album.)

Instagram: @el_cekis

Location: Lexington b/t 125th & 124th

Nelson Rivas, better known by his street name El Cekis, is a highly regarded graffiti artist from Chile. Born in Santiago in 1976, El Cekis began painting on the streets in the early 1990s, and has gained recognition for his work not only in Chile but also around the world. His work integrates nature into the urban landscape, always with colors that pop.

Instagram: @c1mah

Location: Lexington b/t 125th & 124th

Joseph Riccio is a New York native and a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology in graphic design. Joe’s moniker CIMAH (“Clarity In Mind And Heart”) points to his mission of using his art to challenge the viewer to aspire to their dreams and goals. His creations are typically a variety of shapes interlaced with color and textures. For Grandscale, his piece highlights the moving parts of community that work in tandem with one another, and is a reminder to slow down and be grateful.

Instagram: @nelson_host_santiago

Location: Lexington b/t 125th & 124th

Nelson Host Santiago is a Spanish Harlem-born and Bronx-raised artist whose family hails from Puerto Rico. For Grandscale, he painted a tribute to 10-year-old Alithia Ramirez who was the victim of the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Alithia loved art and hoped to grow up to study it.

Instagram: @evanbishopart

Location: Lexington b/t 125th & 124th

Evan Bishop is a Grandscale veteran who has created this year’s info panels that give credit to our sponsors.

Instagram: @rramirez.ric

Location: Lexington b/t 125th & 124th

Ricardo Ramirez was born in Puerto Rico and raised in East Harlem, and is now also raising his son here. His work is influenced by surrealism as well as graffiti culture. For Grandscale, he depicts the Taino symbol of the sun as a sunflower, sprouting out of the cracks of the street.

Instagram: @erotica67

Location: Lexington b/t 125th & 124th

Carolina Diaz has strong connections to the Bronx, where she has raised her family. Never straying far from her graffiti roots, her piece for Grandscale is a celebration of community, showcasing the strength and beauty that arises from embracing our differences and recognizing the interconnectedness of all beings.

Instagram: @scratch_nyc

Location: Lexington b/t 125th & 124th

Scratch was born and raised in Sweden and started painting graffiti in 1989, when she was involved with the infamous “graffiti school” in Stockholm. In 1998, she relocated to New York to work as a graphic designer and art director. Scratch is recognized as one of NYC’s most creative female graffiti artists, and has painted walls, collaborated on projects and curated art shows with graffiti legends including Snake 1, Tats Cru, Crash, Kingbee and Ces.

Instagram: @call_her_al

Location: Lexington b/t 125th & 124th

Al Ruiz is a classically trained painter who has lived in both the Bronx and Harlem. Her work takes a deep look at the human condition and its nuances. For Grandscale, she modernized “Homework,” a 1939 painting by Daniel Ralph Celentano, an artist who depicted life in East Harlem in the 1930s and 1940s. In the original version, a mother helps a child with her written homework at the kitchen table. In this 2023 version, you will spot the glow of a tablet and the same knowing mother-to-child gaze.

Instagram: @geobany

Location: Lexington b/t 125th & 124th

Geobany grew up in Washington Heights and the Bronx, and is heavily influenced by street art culture. Now working in the field of psychology, he aims to integrate mental health awareness into his work. His piece for Grandscale draws inspiration from his father, and represents the dreams of immigrant families as they work their way through a new world and a new life, their path lighted by the hope for prosperity.

Instagram: @jry_designs

Location: Lexington b/t 125th & 124th

Jaleeca Yancy (JRY Designs) hails originally from Tennessee and now makes her home in New York. Her work is prompted by self-identity, Black culture and mythology informed by history, literature, music and spirituality. Her piece for Grandscale is an homage to thr people of the African disapora.

Instagram: @lovenotes

Location: Lexington b/t 125th & 124th

Lola Lovenotes was born and raised in the Bronx, and now serves as a teaching artist for schools in the Bronx and Upper Manhattan. Her work strives to inspire and connect to the community by incorporating symbolism related to the themes of nature, heritage, social justice and inclusion, usually involving feminine figures and fantastic scenery. For Grandscale, her piece encourages us to take care of our environment and community gardens in Harlem.

Instagram: @dripstudionyc

Location: Lexington b/t 125th & 124th

Miguel Moronta was born in Harlem, raised in Washington Heights and has been an artist since he could hold a crayon. He is heavily influenced by the graffiti culture of the 1980s, as well as the nuances and intricacies of tattoo art. For Grandscale, his piece of artist and activist Maya Angelou is inspired by her quote: "You may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I'll rise."

Instagram: @outersource

Location: Lexington b/t 125th & 124th

Outer Source has had family in East Harlem for years, and is a mural artist whose creates bright, shining galaxies and constellations. He uses spray paint as his expressive medium and employs techniques such as throwing and splattering paint on the wall to create supernovae and quasars. For Grandscale, the galaxy in the shape of a heart is to show his love for the community, and to show gratitude for the opportunity to express himself through art.

Instagram: @cramcept

Location: Lexington b/t 125th & 124th

Marc Mazurkiewicz was born and raised in New York City, and has created numerous murals in Harlem, including work with Harlem Children’s Zone and the Thrive Collective. He enjoys creating art for the people with bright colors and defined lines.

Instagram: @zim_arts

Location: Lexington b/t 125th & 124th

Joshua Griffin was born and raised in the Bronx, where he was heavily influenced by hip-hop culture. His work now transcends the spray paint can and is translated by way of his many gallery showings with his classical portraiture. Often capturing still life figures from most of his peers, friends and family members, he immortalizes his everyday life and the people around him. His piece for Grandscale is of the female essence.

Instagram: @JaurelioNYC

Location: Lexington b/t 125th & 124th

Jose Aurelio Baez is Bronx-born mixed media painter, collage and mural artist. Heavily influenced by his identity as a New Yorker, his work uses found and repurposed materials to create an archive of the people, culture and environments around him. For Grandscale, his piece depicts a battle between a rooster and a snake.