Dranken in Oost-Indië; Lakwerk en papier uit China 1682 - 1733

Editor: This is "Drinks in the East Indies; Lacquerware and paper from China," a print made by Romeyn de Hooghe sometime between 1682 and 1733. It seems to depict different aspects of trade. It almost looks like two different scenes put together. How do you see this artwork? Curator: For me, it's immediately a window onto 17th/18th-century global trade networks. De Hooghe is showing us not just the products, but the *processes* involved in creating value. Look at the different kinds of labor represented. We have the gathering of raw materials like spices and palm wine on one side. How are these depicted? Editor: As back-breaking manual labor. And then, on the other side, there's a workshop with more specialized crafts going on. So, one process extracts materials from the natural environment and the other adds something. What do you mean, "adds something?" Curator: Labor. By adding labor, value is added to raw material, allowing trade networks to flourish. Consider the hierarchy involved in material transformation, the social stratification inherent in production - does it affect the end consumer's experience, enjoyment, or awareness of it? Editor: That makes sense! I hadn't really considered how the process of making something affects how we value it. Curator: Exactly! De Hooghe asks us to reflect on the entire system of labor and materiality. Are these depictions faithful reflections of production, or do they play into contemporary, and most likely, European projections? How might their reception today reflect coloniality? Editor: I guess I always just looked at pieces like this for their historical subject matter. It's interesting to consider them as commenting on labor, trade, and colonial structures as well! Curator: It definitely challenges how we frame ‘high art’ and ‘craft’, wouldn’t you agree? Considering labor, materials and how works such as these participate within global consumerism can tell us much more about ourselves.