Since the form is such a malleable language, distinct from verbal language, it is not limited to a predetermined idea or proposition; it is not an illustration of a thought. There is, in Zé Tepedino’s work, a repertoire of materials, which are the “words” from which he builds his language. I see Zé’s repertoire as bearing formal interconnections with a vast inventory of iconic works by avant-garde 20th-century artists and contemporary ones, sometimes both simultaneously. In the collection presented at Galeria Triângulo, I see echoes of Rauschenberg’s combines, references to concrete and neoconcrete works, echoes of Marisa Merz, Eva Hesse, Alexandre da Cunha, and many others. And yet, Zé’s works involve a DYI approach, humor, and a power of synthesis that make them uniquely his, expressions of a language that dialogues with what exists in the world. I actually don’t know the extent of Zé’s knowledge or interest concerning any of the names I mentioned, nor does that matter. Isn’t it precisely this other language which give each person the opportunity to find, within it, associations and references that have to do with his or her own experience? It’s all in how you say it, but not everyone hears the same thing.