Natalie Baxter
People Will Think You're Making a Trump Flag Again, 2025 
fabric, sequins, fringe, polyester fill, thread
20 x 28 x 4 inches
 
This piece is from Bloated Flags, a series of stuffed, swollen interpretations of the American flag made from flamboyant fabrics. The work treats the flag as a shifting symbol, carrying unstable meanings of pride, shame, and power. A subseries of gold flags arose after a studio visitor warned that gold might be read as a Trump flag. I found this reaction revealing, highlighting how deeply divided interpretations of national symbols have become. The bloated forms exaggerate this tension, suggesting excess, entitlement, and a country swollen with its own myths and contradictions.