At NU Hotel Brooklyn, we believe our walls should reflect the spirit of the neighborhood we call home. That is why we’re proud to feature art by Adam Suerte, a South Brooklyn native, in our lobby through January 2026. His three new works, Overpass, Red Hook, DUMBO, and Island, Red Hook, wonderfully capture the city’s history, grit, and constant evolution.
Born and raised in the borough, Adam studied at the Art Students League, The High School of Music and Art, and the Rhode Island School of Design. His pieces tell stories of a Brooklyn that is both remembered and reinvented, blending nostalgia with the energy of change.
An Artistic Signature
A common thread runs through everything Adam creates, whether it’s painting, illustration, printmaking, tattooing, or comics. A love for New York’s everyday details is always present. His art often features lampposts, bridges, fire hydrants, and subways.
Sometimes his paintings feel impressionistic, with winding streets and moody skylines. Other times, his illustrations lean playful, with buildings that seem alive with faces and personalities.
A range of influences find their way into Adam’s style, from the Dutch Masters and underground comics to psychedelic poster art and Aztec imagery. The result is work that feels layered, diverse, and deeply tied to Brooklyn.
Building Creative Communities
After graduating from RISD in 1991, Adam co-founded Urban Folk Art® Studios in Brooklyn.
The collective was funded primarily by a silkscreen print studio that collaborated with artists and nonprofits. Musicians have also been known to bring their creative energy to the studios.
Those projects supported an array of creative endeavors, from mural work to independent art openings to underground comics. The studio became both a hub of artistic production and a platform for collaboration, establishing Adam as a leader in Brooklyn’s creative community.
By the late 1990s, Adam shifted his focus toward tattooing, just as the tattoo ban in New York City was being lifted. After apprenticing for a year, he joined a shop in Boerum Hill, and in 2002, he and his colleague Willie Paredes opened Brooklyn Tattoo®.
Over the years, the shop became a fixture of the neighborhood, moving locations several times while building a loyal following. For more than 15 years, Brooklyn Tattoo® has been recognized for its artistry and sense of community, carrying forward tattooing as both craft and culture in the neighborhood.
Expanding Into Gallery Work
In 2011, Adam took another leap by opening the Urban Folk Art® Gallery next door to Brooklyn Tattoo®.
The gallery gave him the chance to curate and showcase a wide range of work, from graffiti legends to emerging painters, photographers, and illustrators. With shows that spanned multiple disciplines and styles, the gallery reflected Adam’s own artistic curiosity and his commitment to amplifying voices across the creative spectrum.
The space thrived until 2017, when the demands of running both the gallery and the tattoo shop, along with maintaining his own practice, made it impossible to keep all three going. Adam now continues to practice his art independently, and he is open to all creative inquiries.
From the Studio to NU Hotel
Adam’s artwork at NU Hotel Brooklyn brings his story full circle, from growing up in South Brooklyn to leaving his mark on a space where travelers from around the world stay.
For NU’s Perspective Rooms, Adam’s signature mural depicts an iconic Brooklyn Bridge scene, focusing on the ever-changing cityscape.
For his 2025 lobby art installation, his three works include:
– Overpass, Red Hook, 36X48″, Acrylic on Canvas
– DUMBO 5X7′, Acrylic on Canvas
– Island, Red Hook, 40X50″, Acrylic on Canvas
Creativity That Keeps Going
Today, Adam’s practice continues to stretch across many mediums, including painting, illustration, tattooing, printmaking, comics, and merchandise production.
His work carries forward the story of a city he has lived in, loved, and watched transform. At NU Hotel Brooklyn, we are proud to feature his mural as part of that story and to give guests the chance to connect with Brooklyn through art made by one of its own.