The artwork created by Merida for the Arte-em-Cores Project is a re-reading of the sculpture Amnesia by artist Flávio Cerqueira, which she saw while visiting MASP in 2021. The artist´s work portrays the whitening process of Brazilian memories over time and shows a black boy pouring a bucket of white latex paint over his head. In contrast to the title of the original work, her work is titled “Memory”. However, the work aims towards the same message conveyed by the artist who inspired her, namely that social rights should apply to all Brazilian citizens, and, above all, guarantee the rights of social minorities.
Merida also sought to interact with the name of the Arte-em-Cores Project. The strokes of colored paint on the boy allude to social rights guarantees. The place chosen for the work is also symbolic: the headquarters of a neighborhood association that fights for the rights of the community where she works.