Terrestrial Bodies (2019) organizes the artist’s collection of porcelain vases, wooden carved figurines, brass goblets, and teacups chronologically along a timeline of her mother’s genetic ancestry. Utilizing the strategies of anthropological research, the installation presents an institutional, social, and commercial history of colonization. The timeline, stretching from 1660-1900, roots the artist’s family heritage at the crossroads between Africa, Asia, and the Americas, putting the ancestry of Black and Brown populations in parallel with the history of trade and globalization.

Valdés creates links between global trade, it’s use of the trans-Atlantic slave trade routes, and the rise of the social classes in the Americas. The installation notes the economic chain of activities provided by women who purchased these domestic wares for their family and as signs of upward mobility within the social classes, particularly for the growing Mestizo class. The China Trade and subsequent European companies profited largely by the surge of resources generated by settlers in the Americas and the Caribbean colonies adding economic force to the triangular trade.

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Shipping from Miami: Needs Crate built / No crates needed
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