{"id":1761269,"date":"2026-02-09T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1761269"},"modified":"2026-02-09T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T21:00:00","slug":"victoria-dugger-reinterprets-the-american-flag-in-glitter-and-fringe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1761269","title":{"rendered":"Victoria Dugger Reinterprets the American Flag in Glitter and Fringe"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content prose-colossal max-w-none\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default entry-header is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"colo-post-featured-image wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1422\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dugger-5.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"a colorful, patterned textile flag with fringe and glitter by Victoria Dugger\" style=\"object-fit:cover\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cFreak Flag VI\u201d (2025), gouache, barbed wire, and glitter on panel, 60 x 36 x 4 inches. All images courtesy of Sargent\u2019s Daughters, shared with permission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-title is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0bc941e6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h1 class=\"alignfull wp-block-post-title\">Victoria Dugger Reinterprets the American Flag in Glitter and Fringe<\/h1>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-meta is-layout-flex wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-02-09T13:09:35-06:00\">February 9, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"taxonomy-category wp-block-post-terms\"><a class=\"category-art\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/art\/\" rel=\"tag\">Art<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/author\/gebert\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name__link\">Grace Ebert<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-share-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing has-visible-labels has-icon-color is-style-logos-only is-layout-flex wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-is-layout-flex\">\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-facebook has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F02%2Fvictoria-dugger-mixed-media-freak-flags%2F&amp;title=Victoria%20Dugger%20Reinterprets%20the%20American%20Flag%20in%20Glitter%20and%20Fringe\" aria-label=\"Share\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tShare\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-pinterest has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F02%2Fvictoria-dugger-mixed-media-freak-flags%2F&amp;description=Victoria%20Dugger%20Reinterprets%20the%20American%20Flag%20in%20Glitter%20and%20Fringe&amp;media=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F02%2Fdugger-5-960x683.jpg\" aria-label=\"Pin\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-J69DecZE\" data-rl_title data-rl_caption title><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tPin\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-mail has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#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\" aria-label=\"Email\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tEmail\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><button class=\"simplefavorite-button preset\" data-postid=\"469268\" data-siteid=\"1\" data-groupid=\"1\" data-favoritecount=\"0\"><i class=\"sf-icon-bookmark\"><\/i>Bookmark<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>When <a href=\"https:\/\/www.victoriadugger.studio\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Victoria Dugger<\/a> encountered Jasper Johns\u2019 \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.moma.org\/collection\/works\/78805\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Flag<\/a>\u201d during a visit to the Museum of Modern Art in 2024, she found herself contemplating similar ideas. The encaustic painting is one of Johns\u2019 most recognizable works and revels in ambiguity: although it bears stars and stripes, it\u2019s not an exact representation of Old Glory, nor is it solely a gestural, abstract work. Instead, \u201cFlag\u201d prompts questions about motif, material, and meaning that defy any singular narrative.<\/p>\n<p>For Dugger, Johns\u2019 multivalent approach felt particularly apt 70 years later. On the eve of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, she began a body of work that reflects a similar set of inquiries through the lens of Blackness, disability, and desire.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dugger-2.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469268\" title=\"\u201cFreak Flag II\u201d (2025), gouache, barbed wire, and glitter on panel, 60 x 36 x 4 inches\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cFreak Flag II\u201d (2025), gouache, barbed wire, and glitter on panel, 60 x 36 x 4 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cFreak Flag II\u201d (2025), gouache, barbed wire, and glitter on panel, 60 x 36 x 4 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1170\" height=\"1066\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dugger-2.jpg\" alt=\"a colorful, patterned textile flag with fringe and glitter by Victoria Dugger\" class=\"wp-image-469279\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cFreak Flag II\u201d (2025), gouache, barbed wire, and glitter on panel, 60 x 36 x 4 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em>Freak Flags<\/em>, on view this month at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sargentsdaughters.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sargent\u2019s Daughters<\/a>, reinterprets the United States flag through gingham, glitter, beads, fringe, and more. The title of the exhibition implicates the legacy of freak shows, which often exploited people with disabilities and diseases and presented them as odd curiosities. Spectacle takes a different form in Dugger\u2019s mixed-media works, though, as she replaces stars with glittery tasseled pasties and lines the edges with vibrantly dyed locks of hair.<\/p>\n<p>There are also miniature picket fences and curls of barbed wire woven throughout some of the compositions. While the former symbolizes the ideal of safety and suburbanization within the American Dream, the latter nods to <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Barbed_wire#Uses\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a history of domination and discrimination<\/a> from Manifest Destiny to Japanese internment to contemporary immigration practices along the southern border.<\/p>\n<p>These sinister elements sit alongside fields of gouache flowers, dainty butterflies, and frilly piping. This complicated mishmash captures the fraught history and ideals that continue to shape American identity and policies. While some of Dugger\u2019s flags are presented upright with the rectangular patch in the top left corner, others are flipped upside down, a long-utilized symbol of a nation in distress.<\/p>\n<p>See <em>Freak Flags<\/em> through February 28. Keep up with Dugger\u2019s work on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/victoria.dugger.studio\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dugger-1.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469268\" title=\"Detail of \u201cFreak Flag I\u201d\" data-rl_title=\"Detail of \u201cFreak Flag I\u201d\" data-rl_caption=\"Detail of \u201cFreak Flag I\u201d\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1365\" height=\"2048\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dugger-1.jpg\" alt=\"a detail image of a colorful, patterned textile flag with fringe and glitter by Victoria Dugger\" class=\"wp-image-469278\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Detail of \u201cFreak Flag I\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dugger-4.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469268\" title=\"\u201cFreak Flag I\u201d (2025), gouache, barbed wire, and glitter on panel, 60 x 36 x 4 inches\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cFreak Flag I\u201d (2025), gouache, barbed wire, and glitter on panel, 60 x 36 x 4 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cFreak Flag I\u201d (2025), gouache, barbed wire, and glitter on panel, 60 x 36 x 4 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1193\" height=\"1125\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dugger-4.jpg\" alt=\"a colorful, patterned textile flag with fringe and glitter by Victoria Dugger\" class=\"wp-image-469281\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cFreak Flag I\u201d (2025), gouache, barbed wire, and glitter on panel, 60 x 36 x 4 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dugger-6.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469268\" title=\"\u201cFreak Flag V\u201d (2025), gouache, barbed wire, and glitter on panel, 60 x 36 x 4 inches\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cFreak Flag V\u201d (2025), gouache, barbed wire, and glitter on panel, 60 x 36 x 4 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cFreak Flag V\u201d (2025), gouache, barbed wire, and glitter on panel, 60 x 36 x 4 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1402\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dugger-6.jpg\" alt=\"a colorful, patterned textile flag with fringe and glitter by Victoria Dugger\" class=\"wp-image-469283\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cFreak Flag V\u201d (2025), gouache, barbed wire, and glitter on panel, 60 x 36 x 4 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dugger-3.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469268\" title=\"Detail of \u201cFreak Flag I\u201d\" data-rl_title=\"Detail of \u201cFreak Flag I\u201d\" data-rl_caption=\"Detail of \u201cFreak Flag I\u201d\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1365\" height=\"2048\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dugger-3.jpg\" alt=\"a detail image of a colorful, patterned textile flag with fringe and glitter by Victoria Dugger\" class=\"wp-image-469280\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Detail of \u201cFreak Flag I\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dugger-7.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469268\" title=\"\u201cFreak Flag IV\u201d (2025), gouache, barbed wire, and glitter on panel, 60 x 36 x 4 inches\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cFreak Flag IV\u201d (2025), gouache, barbed wire, and glitter on panel, 60 x 36 x 4 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cFreak Flag IV\u201d (2025), gouache, barbed wire, and glitter on panel, 60 x 36 x 4 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1520\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dugger-7.jpg\" alt=\"a colorful, patterned textile flag with fringe and glitter by Victoria Dugger\" class=\"wp-image-469284\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cFreak Flag IV\u201d (2025), gouache, barbed wire, and glitter on panel, 60 x 36 x 4 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dugger-8.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-469268\" title=\"\u201cFreak Flag III\u201d (2025), gouache, barbed wire, and glitter on panel, 60 x 36 x 4 inches\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cFreak Flag III\u201d (2025), gouache, barbed wire, and glitter on panel, 60 x 36 x 4 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cFreak Flag III\u201d (2025), gouache, barbed wire, and glitter on panel, 60 x 36 x 4 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1539\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dugger-8.jpg\" alt=\"a colorful, patterned flag with fringe and glitter by Victoria Dugger\" class=\"wp-image-469285\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cFreak Flag III\u201d (2025), gouache, barbed wire, and glitter on panel, 60 x 36 x 4 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"after-entry\" role=\"complementary\" aria-label=\"After Entry\">\n<section id=\"block-16\" class=\"widget widget_block widget_text\">\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#88caf0\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><strong>Do stories and artists like this matter to you?<\/strong><\/mark> Become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/members\/\" 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All images courtesy of Sargent\u2019s Daughters, shared with permission Victoria Dugger Reinterprets the American Flag in Glitter and Fringe February 9, 2026 Art Grace Ebert Share Pin Email Bookmark When Victoria Dugger encountered Jasper Johns\u2019 \u201cFlag\u201d during a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,270],"class_list":["post-1761269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-thisiscolossal-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1761269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1761269"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1761269\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1761269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1761269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1761269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}