News and entertainment have become one in a synthesized and dialectical approach to the seductive. There is a subliminally sexual subtext to commercial TV; so too is the case with the U.S. flag—the importance of what it represents becomes diminished when it is plastered to any article of consumption for the sake of profit. By painting the flag on 13 nude bodies, I tried to elevate the importance of the flag. The flag was painted on 13 models that varied in shapes, ethnicity, and gender—in order to reflect changes in diversity, acceptance and tolerance since the colonization of this nation. The videos show sensuality, sexuality, discomfort and comfort. The work offers a chance to discuss and contemplate how far we want to go with the use of the flag and to share feelings about the commercialization and the flag sexualization (a made up word, again to reflect the power of language as a tool for inclusion and exclusion on a nation where much of the population are immigrants that speak different languages, yet the need for a conservative party to make English as the first language still is in debate.
Cast:Javier Lara
Tags:video, art and javier a lara