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Blending the lines between graffiti and tattooing, Street Runner has quickly established himself as an influential character on the urban scene and amassed a cult following over a short amount of time. We sat down with him to find out a little more.
Where are you from?
I was born in Lisbon in 1995 and spent the whole of my youth in the city. It became a constant for me, I loved exploring the streets and train lines.
When did your interest in art first spark?
I’ve always been interested in art, even as a kid I liked to draw and it was more than just something I did for fun. At age 12, my friends and I started scrawling on the city walls for fun – I guess that was the start of the whole graffiti thing. Later on in life I ended up studying graphic design at college.
What came after that?
Not so much after, but during my time studying I began to travel to different cities in Europe. It was an eye-opening experience and I met so many like-minded people. In around 2015 I spent a lot of time in Brussels, and it was here I really started my career. The people I was hanging around with were heavily invested in the clothing, tattoo and music scenes, and from here I started dreaming of creating my own style.
I assume you mean tattooing?
Yeah, I returned back to Lisbon after my time in Brussels and it was here I really started to create. I was constantly sketching and making flash sheets, over time I began to develop my own themes and techniques. It wasn’t even just flash after some time, eventually I made the move to crafting 3D sculptures which was pretty crazy.
Were you still working on graffiti at this time?
Of course! My interest in graffiti actually grew alongside the tattoo thing, but I actually began doing something more interesting. I was creating huge paintings that depicted the inside of trains, as they’d always fascinated me. They got bigger and bigger and then I started incorporating pieces of fabric and other textured stuff to make them even more realistic. I developed this idea even further and actually displayed my work on board a public train once, it was surreal and just made me want to push even harder.
Have you shown at any exhibitions since?
Yeah, a few. I held another exhibition in Lisbon which drew in a lot of people, however eventually I started to fall in love with the idea of my work being on the streets again, in true graffiti style. I started leaving my pieces in very public places in plain sight and then observing them for some time. People would just admire them and often touch them too, which made me get a little more experimental with the fabrics used.
What are you up to now?
Well, I’m tattooing pretty much full time, as well as doing the art stuff. People have said I’ve really got my own style going now, which is what the goal always was. I’m constantly finding new ways to create and innovate, just pushing boundaries really. I love what I do and I don’t want to stop anytime soon.
