For New York based multi-media artist Hank Willis Thomas, art and politics are intertwined. He draws from history, advertising (he made a series based on the Nike swoosh), and current events to create works that address issues of racial injustice, identity politics, and more recently, the meaning of freedom. With formal integrity and conceptual savvy, the impeccably crafted fabric pieces in the exhibition Another Justice: Divided We Stand are assembled from American flags and prison uniforms and literally “investigate the fabric of our nation.” Across the works, Thomas juxtaposes the red and white stripes from the American flag with prison garb in various colors. While works like A New Constellation and Imaginary Lines (all works 2021) separate and repurpose the stars and stripes, it is the text-based pieces carefully cut and collaged from prison uniforms and flags that are the most compelling.

The art collaborative and founding artist Hank Willis Thomas have partnered to create Another Justice, a series of exhibits and talks that confront the truth about modern-day slavery.

The artist discusses his new exhibition which mixes American flags with prison uniforms to examine whether the land of the free is really free for all.

From rousing in-person dance premieres to a slew of art shows and everyone’s favorite televised parade, there’s so much to be excited—and thankful—for when it comes to this month’s wealth of cultural programming. Catch Gibney Company’s debut at The Joyce Theater in New York or get to know trailblazing artist Hank Willis Thomas at his solo gallery show in Los Angeles. 

The American flag is a potent piece of national iconography, but its design shifted frequently until the early 1900s. What if it were redesigned today? We asked artists and graphic designers to try. The flags they came up with reflect a mix of approaches. Some are functional designs, others artistic renderings; some represent America as it could be, others how the artist sees the country now.