Hank Willis Thomas has repeatedly turned to the American flag as a subject through which to interrogate the tension between national ideals and lived realities. In this work, constructed from actual US flags, Thomas dismantles the flag’s familiar iconography to expose the weight of history embedded within it.

As in related works such as Freedom (2021) and Imaginary Lines (2021), the present piece reimagines the flag’s structure in order to evoke themes of confinement, erasure, and contested belonging. Stripes and stars are manipulated and disrupted, shifting the flag from a straightforward emblem of unity into a layered metaphor for systemic inequality, incarceration, and the marginalisation of people of colour.

The result is an image that resists simple patriotism. By unsettling the most recognisable symbol of American identity, Thomas challenges viewers to confront the gap between the rhetoric of liberty and the realities of exclusion. The work ultimately transcends its material form, operating as both critique and reflection on the ongoing struggle to reconcile national identity with the pursuit of individual freedom.