Archived Work
Past Presence.
Commentary & Installation & Newest WorkThe Confederate flag commanded a prominent position on the state house grounds in South Carolina, my home state, until it was removed in July 2015. The flag has long symbolized hate and bigotry. This piece is a response to intensified rhetoric about the flag following the tragic murder of nine African Americans at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. Impassioned proponents of the Confederate flag have long argued it serves as a symbol of “heritage, not hate.” My work lifts up the absurdity of this myth, naming the history of this flag as one of hate, bigotry, and ignorance. Provocative quotes from William Faulkner, James Baldwin, and Ta-Nehisi Coates are typographically linked to each flag illustration.