Born Rafael Canato, Tico grew up in the favela of São Mateus where he explored his taste for drawing and playing with colors on the pages of game magazines and car catalogs. After graduating in Advertising and Marketing, he incorporated graffiti into his work with agencies and fashion-related businesses.

In 2015, Tico decided to move to the United States for two years to connect further with the graffiti movement and explore new techniques for enriching his pallet - leading him to exhibit his work in Miami at the San Paul Gallery.

Tico depicts enigmatic characters featuring a complex balance between the depth of beings' emotions and the universality of their physical composition. The integration of flesh and bone reminds us that we are, by nature, all the same.

Playing with imprecise lines and geometric shapes - Tico hopes to connect us to our humanity which is never far from our inner child, as well to our animal essence prioritizing intuition to reason. His main protagonist, Ondi's elemental depiction - oval-headed with two small eyes and prominent teeth - was inspired by the oldest arts in our history of evolution, raw but pure.