This is America

This work depicts the gap between the ideals of freedom and equality associated with the United States and the reality of those who are excluded from or deprived of them. The skulls that replace the stars—some of them crossed out—the unfinished red and white stripes, the phrase “All men are equal” crossed out, and the Statue of Liberty reduced to an empty silhouette with smoke rising from its torch—all serve to embody the contradictions, the violence, and the compromised freedoms hidden behind national symbols. By juxtaposing the image of a nation founded on freedom with a fragmented flag marked by loss, the work reveals the rifts between what America claims to be and what it actually allows people to experience.