Here, we ask an artist to frame the essential details behind one of their latest works.
Bio: Oscar yi Hou, 24, Brooklyn (@oscyhou)
Title of work: Old Gloried Hole, aka: Ends of Empire (2022).
Where to see it: “East of Sun, West of Moon” at the Brooklyn Museum (200 Eastern Parkway) until Sept. 17, 2023.
Three words to describe it: Huge-ass flag.
What was on your mind at the time: I was thinking about U.S. imperialism and its relationship to “Asia America.” I was also thinking of Jasbir K. Puar’s theorization of homonationalism.
An interesting feature that’s not immediately noticeable: The small stars within the red stripes are color-sequenced to the rainbow pride flag. It’s a veiled allusion to the contemporary ways in which liberal democracies weaponize LGBT rights for nationalist, oppressive ends. Akin to what is known as “pinkwashing.”
How it reflects your practice as a whole: I like this work because it’s a combination of my more legible figurative work and my more illegible “poem-picture” practice. Thematically, it explores everything that my practice is about.
One song that captures its essence: “Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen.
