XHIBITION PUBLIC RELATIONS | |
HOTEL INDIGO WILLIAMSBURG UNVEILS LARGE-SCALE GRAFFITI MURAL BY LOCAL ARTIST FERNANDO “SKI” ROMERO
The vibrant, 170-foot-long mural facing Metropolitan Avenue features SKI's classic style, welcoming back hotel guests and neighbors.
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Brooklyn, New York - August 15, 2022: In celebration of its reopening, Hotel Indigo Williamsburg has partnered with renowned local graffiti artist Fernando “SKI” Romero to unveil a 170-foot-long graffiti mural along the front entrance of the building to welcome back guests and neighbors. Inspired by Brooklyn’s artistic heritage, SKI applied an old-school graffiti style to complement the otherwise simple wall. “This wall pays homage to classic graffiti art,” SKI explains, “I want passersby to stop in their tracks and take pause.”
Closing after its pre-pandemic grand opening, the hotel sat quiet until relaunching in June 2022. While in slumber, the surrounding wall became what the Queens-born artist describes as, ‘tag-city,’ a structure layered with haphazard scribbles. “My hope for the design is to evoke emotion, start conversation, and help bring back life to a small section of the city that made me,” SKI explains. Identifying the wall as an opportunity to positively impact the area, Hotel Indigo Williamsburg similarly hopes the new mural will become a focal point for the community by inspiring creativity and inviting interaction.
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Brooklyn has long been a worldwide hub for artists; the industrial landscape offers accessible, open-spaces that act as clean canvases for the artistic hand. As a native New Yorker, SKI cites the project as a point of pride: “It's important to have locals paint. It's an ego thing to a degree. This is my city, this is what I do,” he explains, “I lived in this area for eight years, my friend owns a gallery up the street where I've exhibited, I know these streets intimately.”
Mercury Paint, one of New York's largest independent paint manufacturers since 1947, donated the materials needed for the mural. “We're one of the last paint manufacturers left in the city,” says Freddy Tichner, Vice President of Sales, “We're Brooklyn-based and have worked with Fernando and many other big artists for years. We try to give back to the community and support local artists as often as possible, it's something we're really passionate about.”
Wanting the outside to complement what lies within, the classic graffiti mural set against the ultra-modern building offers a glimpse at the evolution of Williamsburg from an industrial hub to an imaginative, off-beat borough home to visionaries, artists, and young professionals. With the completion of the mural, guests and locals alike will have a welcoming and colorful reference point for the unique property for years to come.
“We have been looking forward to opening our doors again as we put the pandemic behind us. We want our guests to experience all that Williamsburg has to offer right outside our door, as well as inside our walls,” states General Manager, Nicolas Daeppen. As is customary with all Hotel Indigo locations, guests are encouraged to immerse themselves in the surrounding neighborhood. “Our goal is to embed ourselves into the neighborhood in a meaningful way. We see ourselves as being a stop for those looking to experience Williamsburg and Brooklyn not as outsiders but as a local who is familiar with its quirks, artistry, and charm.”
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About Fernando “SKI” Romero
Fernando “SKI” Romero is a New York-based graffiti muralist and overall artist who was born in Astoria, Queens. He attended Parsons School of Design, where he earned his degree in Marketing/Advertising Communication. Romero’s career began in 1990, painting trains in New York, quickly graduating to streets. He sold his art on the streets of Soho from 2005 to 2009, where he learned different techniques and was able to put his marketing education to the test. Fernando’s art has been featured on House of Lies, Californication, and The Ray Donovan Show, along with countless shows in the U.S. and internationally. His collection has been exclusively represented at Pop International Galleries in New York City for the past seven years. In 2018, Fernando curated his first major show in NYC titled #BrushUp2018, where he brought together 31 major artists to raise over $50k for Smile Design Manhattan. Fernando Romero currently lives and works in Long Island City, New York.
About Hotel Indigo Williamsburg
Nestled in the heart of Brooklyn, the ultra-contemporary Hotel Indigo Williamsburg closed its doors at the onset of the pandemic, only months after launching. Now, following its June 2022 reopening, the hotel is excitedly welcoming travelers and locals alike back to its newly built home in one of New York City’s most dynamic neighborhoods. With unbeatable, on-site subway access, the entire city is at the fingertips of every Hotel Indigo Williamsburg guest. The property itself offers modern amenities, including a pool and open-air sun deck, coffee bar, fitness center, and large outdoor courtyard garden and fire pit. Guest rooms boast spa-inspired bathrooms, hardwood floors, and large balconies from which spectacular views of Brooklyn and the historic Manhattan skyline can be enjoyed. Designed by Kutnicki Bernstein Architects and Cl-oth Interiors, the interiors reflect the area's rich history and many industrial warehouse conversions that have played a role in developing Williamsburg’s unique brand of ‘cool.’
Media contacts:
Nestor Lara Baeza at Xhibition
E: nestor@xhibition.com
T: +1 (347) 624-8533
Becca Singelenberg at Xhibition
E: becca@xhibition.com
T: +1 (301) 785-8163
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