[1] Under Rubio's direction, Valdez worked on a series of murals; the first was located at the former site of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center in San Antonio.
[4] During Valdez's junior year at RISD, an elderly self-surrogate in his painting Remembering (1999) reflects his experience of "missing home," which contributed to his developing Chicano consciousness.
In a review of the SAMA exhibition, it was deemed "the show’s edgiest work," one in which "rapacious sailors... violate every Chicano body and cultural emblem with unremitting barbarity.
The painting is remarkable for: the dynamic expressiveness and superb characterizations of its varied protagonists, the lurid lighting effects, the complex space (including a tile floor that 'rolls' like waves on an ocean) and the undeniable mastery that makes it possible to pack such dense (and meaningful) iconographic details into a compelling, clearly legible narrative.
[6] His three versions of I Lost Her to El Diablo (2001-2004) reflect an interest in Texas folklore (in the form of the "Devil at the Dance" tale), as well as deepening treatments of psychology and atmosphere in the culminating painting.
[11] Valdez was a 2020 Studio Fellow at NXTHVN, an organization in New Haven, CT founded by Titus Kaphar, Jason Price, and Jonathan Brand, NXTHVN fellowships are designed to foster "intergenerational mentorship, cross-sector collaboration, and local engagement [to] accelerate the careers of the next generation and foster retention of professional art talent.
"[12] During his fellowship, Valdez exhibited his work in the group show NXTHVN: Un/Common Proximity at James Cohan Gallery in New York, NY with Allana Clarke, Alisa Sikelianos-Carter, Daniel T. Gaitor-Lomack, Jeffrey Meris, Esteban Ramón Pérez, and Ilana Savdie.
Deemed the "worst slum in the city,"[24] the land was seized from Chavez Ravine homeowners using eminent domain and funds from the Housing Act of 1949.
The paintings are complemented with a film showing a casket draped in an American flag ethereally floating through San Antonio neighborhoods.
Valdez said, "This suite of paintings pays homage to my lifelong friend, 2nd Lt. John R. Holt Jr., (1978–2009) who survived a tour of duty in Iraq as a combat medic, but lost a battle with post-traumatic stress disorder in 2009.
The title of the series was inspired by Billie Holiday's famous 1939 song "Strange Fruit", which was adapted from Abel Meeropol's anti-lynching poem written in 1936.
[32] Historians William Carrigan and Clive Webb have documented 547 cases of extralegal executions of people of Mexican origin or descent in states like Texas, California, and New Mexico, but suspect that the actual number of victims is considerably higher.
[34] Juan Cartagena, the President and General Counsel of LatinoJustice PRLDEF notes that Valdez's The Strangest Fruit series "expertly juxtaposes the infamous symbol of state-sponsored/state ignored violence—here the visualized but invisible noose—with the bodies of young Latino men in modern attire.
The artwork was inspired by Philip Guston's City Limits (1969, Museum of Modern Art)[37] and Gil Scott-Heron's song The Klan from his 1980 Real Eyes album.
Near center, a hooded toddler wearing baby Nikes points out at the viewer, a direct reference to James Montgomery Flagg's famous World War I era Uncle Sam "I Want You for the U.S. Army" recruitment poster.
[47] On the evening of the opening, the Blanton Museum of Art hosted a conversation with Valdez and journalist Maria Hinojosa,[48] anchor and executive producer of Latino USA on National Public Radio.
Twelve mostly grayscale oil on paper paintings (42 x 72 inches) focus on the multi-ethnic cast of individuals who attended Muhammad Ali's funeral shortly after his death on June 3, 2016.
In the MASS MoCA exhibition catalog, Markonish notes that each figure is “silent, hesitant, and even uncertain about their willingness to speak.”[50] Markonish continues, “This potential muteness serves as an apt metaphor for our troubled times.”[51] About the series, Valdez said, "This work reminds me on a daily basis that we are bound by similar patterns of history, experiences, and struggles for survival.
But, I stand firm in my belief that the artist can still provide critical moments of silence and clarity in times of immense distortion and chaos.
The artists processed Requiem, a monumental bronze representation of a dying golden eagle, alongside pall bearers, who carried the weight of the sculpture.
Other artists who participated in Suffering from Realness include Aziz+Cucher, Cassils, Joey Fauerso, Jeffrey Gibson, Hayv Kahraman, Titus Kaphar, Roberto Longo, Christoper Mir, MPA, Wengechi Mutu, Allison Schulnik, Keith Sklar, and Robert Taplin.