A nice cup of tea

The first Street Art mural to be started at Tate Modern is by Nunca.
"Nunca (Never) started writing graffiti and pichação (a uniquely Brazilian form of tagging) on the streets of São Paulo when he was twelve. Over the years, his work developed into a more pictorial form of communication whose use of colour and style strongly evokes the ancient traditions of the Brazilian people. ‘I like to look more to indigenous art,’ he explains, ‘because for me the Brazilians still have something of the Indians, in the culture, in the blood.’ By placing his images in contemporary settings such as motorway underpasses, he creates a timeless dialogue between ancient and modern. Often improvised, Nunca’s works on the street reflect what he sees as the inner character of the Brazilian people, fighting for survival in the modern metropolis. The faces he depicts are based on members of the public whom he sees while walking through the city. Though made with spray paint or acrylic, they often have the look of ancient woodcuts or etchings. ‘This was the first way of depicting people when the conquerors came here,’ he explains. His use of dark red ochre similarly relates to the urucum (a red pigment) used by some Brazilian tribespeople to paint their faces and bodies in ritual."