#EatRioLoves: The playful street art of Odylo Falcão – صحيفة الصوت

I arrived in Rio in 2010, and instantly fell in love with the city’s street art. Before long, I could recognise pieces by favourite artists such as Lelo and Pia Transborda on the streets around Santa Teresa and Botafogo where I used to work. In 2013, when Eat Rio morphed from a simple blog into Eat Rio Food Tours, I started spending more time in Laranjeiras, and that’s when I first noticed the artwork of Odylo Falcão.

Although there are many styles and subject matters used in Rio’s street art scene, Odylo Falcão’s simple, cheery illustrations seem quite apart from any other artist working here. The colourful animals and objects seem like they’ve come straight out of a children’s picture book. I haven’t seen him make reference to either, but some of his characters remind me of Richard Scarry and also Where the Wild Things Are.

Is it too childlike/infantile for your liking? Well, art is subjective isn’t it? I enjoy the simplicity of the clean lines and the cheerful feeling that the funny little animals bring. Not all art has to be moody or complex does it?

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If you’re a fan of street art, another artist working in Rio that I’d recommend is Cazé, and his wonderful Negro Muro project, which aims to “contribute to the construction of a social memory that highlights the struggles, achievements and references of black women and men in Brazilian culture.”

I also recently discovered Dolores Esos after this striking artwork appeared on the route I like to walk my dog.

Well, this was just a mini-taster – I don’t pretend to have anything more than a passing familiarity with a few of the artists working in Rio, but keep your eyes open – there’s a lot of beautiful pieces spread throughout the city. If you want to learn more about Rio’s street art scene from someone who really knows what they’re talking about, book a tour with Nina at Rio Street Art Tour.

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