Home Flag, 2023
Home Flag, 2023
Pewter frame (Made in Taiwan), photo on paper
In the 1970s, the poor economy and scarcity of education opportunities led many in Taiwan to seek higher education in the US, which was seen as a path to social mobility.
Behind the work in the distance is a flagpole marking the location of a former military fort. The work itself is a photograph of an American flag hung in my childhood home in Taiwan, which is draped on a towel rack next to a bath towel. My parents are not Americans, nor are they patriotic to the US. Instead, the flag serves as both a decoration and a souvenir from their nine years of education in the US. Houses do not have flag poles in Taiwan, so the towel rack serves as a convenient spot to place the flag; coincidentally, it is located near the highest point in the house, giving it an air of veneration.