Born in NYC’s lower east side and raised in the rail road apartments of Queens. His early life was colored with the sights of a European social class and the sounds of thundering J trains. The neighborhoods of his childhood were laced with the sharp images of every day life, and those of a darker criminal element that was so common in that time and place.

At odds with these conflicting mentalities, he was drawn to the punk movement of the 80’s finding refuge in the strong bonds within the east village sub-culture and its anti establishment message. Here, Andrew began to channel his raw message musically, playing guitar in notorious punk Hardcore bands of the day. A frenetic existence, he dueled with the contradictions of life and self destruction. His art soon began to find expression and notoriety in fanzines, T shirts and band stickers- a glaring reflection of life, politics and culture. His status quickly grew from local artist, to underground pop culture icon.

Andrew’s dark brooding reality—is distinctly New York.
The influences of his youth found their mark with images of barren cityscapes, faces helpless, worn & twisted —a shadowy, wasteland of tattered dreams and abused promise. A life bursting with color strewn across a page in black and white.

Drawing on the influence of political cartoonists such as Thomas Nast [1840-1902], his work is expressive, intense and unapologetically cutting in its message- the barrage of detail drawing the eye into his view of the world. Absorbing life in the melting pot of everything New York, Andrew stamped it with a unique style honed over matchstick covers and tabletops in the smokiest fringes of the greatest city.

Today, his creations still represent a large majority of the anti-establishment youth culture, as well as decorate the walls of downtown pool halls and cigar shops up and down the east coast from his newer gallery of works. Andrew’s art is described as an assemblage of symbolic esoteric modernism as it bridges the generation gaps of old and new.

Andrew Monserrate draws on and uses:
• 14 x 17, 11x 17 500 Series Strathmore Bristol Plate Surface
• Tria Pantone Marker
• Rapidograph Kor-I-Noor Black Ink Pen, Sakura Pigma Micron Pens.