“Sixteen flags on off-white”, 2023

“Sixteen flags on platinum white over Andy Warhol gold”, 2023

“Sixteen flags on yellow, not orange”, 2023

The Star-Spangled Banner

I was struck by the disfigured American flags on the New York City subway train cars, and how they mirror the social fabric of the USA today.

What I saw, sensed and experienced while photographing the 472 stations of the New York subway got me worried. Worried about where the USA is heading as a society.

A worry that was further compounded by the ever increasing gun violence and racially motivated hate crime. By the erosion of basic human rights caused by the recent overturning of Roe vs Wade. By the fact that a former president and government officials flouted fundamental principles of what has been said to be the greatest democracy of all.

“How are you going to show this?” asked an old friend of mine.

I decided to show this through a series of photos that I took of disfigured American flags on New York subway train cars, as these flags mirror the current social fabric of the USA.

The Star-Spangled Banner on the L Train, 2022

The Star-Spangled Banner on the E Train, 2022

The Star-Spangled Banner on the B Train, 2022