Memory of Black Labor
The Black Labor Memory Collection is an initiative of visual artist Guilherme Bretas ( guilhermebretas.com ), linked to the work 3x4: Memory of Black Labor, which investigates the racial constitution of the visual memory of labor in Brazil based on institutional and private photographic collections.
Starting from portraits originally produced as instruments of labor identification, the research focuses on images of Black workers, analyzing how they operate within visual regimes that articulate work, race, and control. In contrast, it proposes their reorganization under a logic centered on the subjects, shifting these images away from their administrative function and challenging their historical framings.
Through historical research, digitization, organization, and cataloging, the project reframes these collections and expands public access to them, opening the images to new interpretations in the field of memory.
Frestas Art Triennial
Sesc Sorocaba, 2026
Contextualizing Sorocaba, a Brazilian historic city, the project 3x4: Memory of Black Labor which was developed from two photographic collections: the institutional archive of the former Sorocabana Railway and a second private photographic collection of workers from the Votorantim Textile Factory. In both, the portraits were produced and preserved as devices for labor identification, frequently dissociated from contextual information over time.
The work includes stages of research, digitization, organization, and cataloging, with the insertion of the collections into the Tainacan platform, expanding access and promoting new possibilities for reading and circulating these images.
Collection available for consultation at: www.guilhermebretas.com
Artist and Research: Guilherme Bretas
Archive Management and Research: Luana Lorena
Site and Tainacan: Nathália Gomes
Photographic records: Ayumi Kranzini
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Working with Luana Lorena means having the assurance that your archive will be in good hands. She combines a unique sensitivity to the subject with extensive expertise in memory management and conservation. More than that, Luana has a refined eye for thinking through collections and archives. She creates organizational systems that respect the essence of the projects with which she collaborates, while never overlooking fundamental aspects such as preservation, security, and the organization of the materials. If your archive requires professional and specialized care, Luana is, without a doubt, the person I recommend.
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Between Media
Sesc Belenzinho, 2025
The 3x4: Memory of Black Labor project was first presented at SESC Belenzinho in 2025, as part of the Entre Mídias project.
This work originated from the collection of the Bunge Memory Center, linked to the former Moinho Santista factory, whose portraits of workers were preserved as instruments of labor identification, often dissociated from their subjective and contextual dimensions.
Based on the selection of these records, the Black Labor Memory Collection was structured. The work involved the organization, cataloging, and systematization of the archives, with the development of navigation tools that broaden access to and understanding of the collection.
Artist and Research: Guilherme Bretas
Archive Management and Research: Luana Lorena
Photographic records: Guilherme Bretas
