Igor ‘SRC’ Nunes

A couple of weeks ago, Mrs Eat Rio and I did our own little Comida di Buteco crawl (it’s like a pub crawl but with added stuffing your face). As we strolled out of Antigamente, a nice little bar on Rua do Ouvidor, I looked up and saw a view that looked photo-worthy.

Rua do Ouvidor is a narrow street running through Centro. Although the street itself is ancient, many of the buildings that now line it are quite ugly recent.

I don’t think it’s a masterpiece or anything, but I like the way the line of the street leads up to the space between the buildings. This was taken on my phone (hence the grainy appearance) so it wasn’t until I got it back to the computer that I noticed a cheeky little character looking back at me.

That little yellow bird is wearing a cap which says “SRC” on it. Great, I thought, I’ll Google that and find out who did this. Problem: On the internet, SRC is a very common abbreviation of “source” as well as an acronym for about a million different organisations.

The next day I was walking down a street in Tijuca and what did I see?

This time our yellow friend is being very wise – “If you drink, take a taxi”.

I returned to Google and made a more concerted effort to track down this SRC fellow. Eventually I found him – Igor ‘SRC’ Nunes.

Igor “SRC” Nunes.

Now that I had tracked down the man himself, I had a few questions. Luckily for me, Igor was kind enough to answer them!

TL: Hi Igor! Can you tell me a little about yourself? 

SRC: Hi! I’m a Carioca, born and raised in Tijuca, Zona Norte. I’m 22 years old and have been painting in the street since 2008, but I have been drawing since I was a baby! Ha ha! I’ve always been addicted to drawing, art and music.

Here Clessio is telling us that “Zona Norte is beautiful too!”

TL: I have been seeing the SRC bird all over town. Does it have a name? 

SRC: Yes, he’s called Clessio. He is part of a movement against the imprisonment and trafficking of animals, against those people that breed and trade protected forest animals and birds, and those that keep animals in poor living conditions, amongst other things.

Bat Bird?

TL: What do you think of the graffiti scene in Rio? How is it changing? 

SRC: I think the graffiti scene in Rio is changing for the better. As it improves, more and more people are appreciating it as art and differentiating it from pixação and other forms of outlawed ‘vandalism’.

A collaboration with fellow carioca street artist, Rafo Castro.

TL: Are there any other street artists that you admire or who inspire you?

SRC: Yes! I love the work of Os Gêmeos – I think the way they portray the Brazilian essence is sensational. There are also many artists that I admire: Toz, BR, How and Nosm, Arys, ROA.

Next time you’re wandering around Rio, keep your eyes open and maybe you’ll spot Clessio perched somewhere interesting!

You can see more of SRC’s work here