Two of the main concerns in Bruno Baptistelli’s practice are verbal language and color, particularly as manifestations of social codes, such as their use in flags, urban signs or racial markers that define ethnic groups according to skin tones. The work Linguagem [Language] comprises two offset prints made in different shades of black, and also with different levels of shine and opacity. In one of them, we read the word “NEGRO” and in the other “PRETO”, both Portuguese words used to describe the color black and Black people. The work highlights the differences between the name of the color and its appearance, as well as the perceived meaning distinctions between them, despite being synonyms. The words also call attention to the historical claims made by the Black movement in the 20th century, including social movements, as well as writers, artists and musicians — amongst the references used by Baptistelli we see several rappers, trappers, and samba and blues musicians — who advocate the use of one or both terms. The work also raises questions about colorism, a concept that understands that different skin tones can determine different levels of prejudice. In any case, something which could be read at first as a binomial — the difference between “preto” and “negro” — is formulated as a set of approximations and differences that are both complex and subtle.

— Leandro Muniz, assistent curator, MASP, 2023

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