Black Bodies, White Gold: Art, Cotton, and Commerce in the Atlantic World

In Black Bodies,White Gold, Anna Arabindan-Kesson explores how cotton, a commodity associated with slavery and colonialism, was intertwined with art, commerce, and colonialism in the 19th century Atlantic world. She demonstrates how artistic representations of cotton became linked to the monetary value of Black bodies, and how visuality played a crucial role in this equating. Arabindan-Kesson also engages with contemporary artists who address the commercial and imperial processes shaping constructions of Blackness and meanings of labor.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 14 May 2021
Publisher: Duke University Press

In her groundbreaking book, Black Bodies, White Gold, Anna Arabindan-Kesson delves into the intricate connections between art, commerce, and colonialism in the nineteenth-century Atlantic world, utilizing the humble cotton as a focal point for fresh perspectives on these intertwined realms. By adopting an art historical approach that centers the histories of the Black diaspora, Arabindan-Kesson offers a groundbreaking model that reshapes our understanding of nineteenth-century cultural production. Through her meticulous research, she traces the emergence of a speculative vision that shaped perceptions of Blackness, where artistic representations of cotton, both as a commodity and a material, became inextricably linked to the monetary value of Black bodies.

From the production and representation of "negro cloth," the textile worn by enslaved plantation workers, to depictions of Black sharecroppers in photographs and paintings, Arabindan-Kesson demonstrates how visuality played a pivotal role in equating Blackness and cotton as resources for extraction. Moreover, she engages with contemporary artists like Hank Willis Thomas, Lubaina Himid, and Yinka Shonibare CBE RA, who critically examine the commercial and imperial processes that shape constructions of Blackness and the meanings associated with labor.

Black Bodies, White Gold is a seminal work that challenges our preconceived notions of art, commerce, and colonialism in the nineteenth century. By highlighting the role of cotton and visuality in shaping perceptions of Blackness, Arabindan-Kesson provides a valuable contribution to the field of art history and offers a fresh lens through which to understand the complexities of this historical period. Through her interdisciplinary approach, she invites us to reevaluate the ways in which these three realms intersected and shaped the world we inhabit today.

Weight: 975g
Dimension: 254 x 178 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781478011927