Sic Semper Tyrannis

2012, silkscreen on nylon, thread, grommets, steel, 15" x 30" x 60" (2-sided flag)

An eagle and a vulture wrestle for dominance as patriotic symbols of good and evil. On the obverse side, the eagle is on top; The same image is printed in a different orientation on the reverse side with the vulture on top.This design is loosely based on the Virginia state flag which features Sic Semper Tyrannis and a similar struggle between characters: a woman wielding a sword (Virginia) atop the chest of a fallen king (England). The origin of the phrase Sic Semper Tyrannis ("Thus Always of Tyrants") can be traced to Brutus' exclamation as he slay Caesar, but oddly, also John Wilkes Booth's cry as he shot Lincoln.