Ariel Pelayo
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Flag XL
2019
Acrylic on canvas
24 x 48 inches
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Border Wall Prototype / Border Bridge Prototype
2019
Acrylic and transfer on canvas and shovel
60 x 107 inches
Statement
In a time when extreme new policies against immigrants are being established and ethnic-sectarian nationalism is on the rise across the world, my painting series transforms national flags from the political and symbolic scenery of native identity to a more frank historical understanding of the demographics that have shaped all migrant countries, specifically the Unites States. More than 98 percent of the ancestors of the current United States population are immigrants. I use the insignia to explore flags’ symbolic undertones and celebrate the U.S. old glory red, white, old glory blue , and the diverse colors of other national flags.