Henrique Tarlé

The series Meia Dúzia (Half a dozen) is part of a larger project on bananas entitled Yes! Nos Temos by Brazilian artist Henrique Tarlé. In this series, the artist drew six bananas in which the skins are transformed and, instead of the bright yellow color characteristic of the fruit, take on colors such as blue and red in patterns that refer to the skin of poisonous dart frogs. Thus, Tarlé’s fruits become synonymous with poison, a reference to the strong impact of pesticides used in banana plantations on the human body. Sometimes, these pesticides have caused male infertility in entire communities. But the skin of the fruit is also a protective layer shielding the flesh and protecting it from precisely these poisons.