Nico Malvaldi (Pisa, 1971) is a photographer and graphic designer based in New York City. He closely follows the underground performing arts scene, documenting dance, punk rock, cabaret, burlesque, as well as clowns and queer wrestling.
For the past twenty years, Nico has worked with Ballets with a Twist, an independent NYC-based ballet company, touring extensively across the United States. Over the last decade, he has also published MANI, a printed newsprint magazine dedicated to New York City’s contemporary music community. In November 2025, through MANI, he was granted access to co-produce 50 Years of Punk Magazine, an exhibition at Ki Smith Gallery in downtown Manhattan, where his work was featured as a bridge between New York City’s celebrated punk history and today’s scene.
In recent years, his work has been exhibited in New York City, Lisbon (Portugal), and Arles (France). In 2025, he co-founded Spaghetti Punk, a collective of motivated Italians producing international punk/rock events that highlight the cultural legacy between Italy and New York City. In 2012, together with Luca Serasini, he co-founded the association Cantiere Nuovo, dedicated to contemporary art and the production of annual events in Pisa, Italy.During a recent trip back to Italy, Nico became deeply inspired by one of Serasini’s projects, Waiting for Angels. Struck by its timeliness, visual impact, and depth of meaning, he took on the role of project manager, facilitating a collaboration between Serasini and East Coast Contemporary Ballet (USA), envisioning the addition of a performance-art layer to the work. The collaboration will premiere at Danza in Arte (DAP) 2026 in Pietrasanta, Italy.
