Michael Baptista’s Tile Drawings

Michael Baptista

Photo by Gilberto Prioste, 2023.

Michael do Carmo Baptista was born and grew-up in the Portuguese community of Kitchener, Ontario. At eighteen, he moved to Toronto and later obtained a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in literary studies from the University of Toronto. His experiences of living in Kitchener’s Portuguese community and living in Toronto’s West-End Portuguese community influence his creative work. Below are eight drawings made by Michael, each representing a decade in the history of Portuguese working-class immigrant women in Canada since 1953.

Portuguese working-class immigrant women in Canada, folk art, and iconography

Michael Baptista on Portuguese folk art and his motivation behind this project (edited for length). May 22, 2023.

Drawings

Click on the images to enlarge.

Baptista’s commentary (edited for length). May 22, 2023.
Baptista’s commentary (edited for length). May 22, 2023.
Baptista’s commentary (edited for length). May 22, 2023.
Baptista’s commentary (edited for length). May 22, 2023.
Baptista’s commentary (edited for length). May 22, 2023.
Baptista’s commentary (edited for length). May 22, 2023.
Baptista’s commentary (edited for length). May 22, 2023.
Baptista’s commentary (edited for length). May 22, 2023.

Final thoughts

Baptista’s commentary (edited for length). May 22, 2023.