Nico Mateo is a Mexican-American, classically-trained double bassist and photographer who is currently based in New Haven. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA and his Master of Music degree from Yale.

As a photographer, Nico is interested in helping fellow artists of marginalized backgrounds visually document their artistic narratives. He attributes this interest to his own experience having grown up as a classical musician of color in California’s Central Valley — amidst a landscape that was primarily agricultural — followed by his move to the bustling city of Los Angeles and later to the East Coast. He believes that documentary photography in the arts can help artists and audiences identify with each other through the celebration of biographical commonalities.