NEW DROP:

the American’s Dilemma pt. i: DRAPETOMANIA

from the ongoing parent series dreams i cannot escape.

faif Quin explores the concept of America through a critical lens, by juxtaposing Americas’s values (represented by the deconstructed colors of the American flag) against the backdrop of a church that appears to be rotting, one strong wind gust away from falling apart. It stands strong, however; it hovers brutally over the two hardworking Americans in the foreground.

DRAPETOMANIA depicts two Americans sitting on a white couch, a red wall of plywood behind them. To the right, a mirror stands, blanketed with blue lace. In the back, a rotting church stands unswayed. The two American men, one seated on the couch arm, one on the couch, are blindfolded. They hold a vase of dead flowers, together. 

“My parents are immigrants,” faif Quin elaborates. “I think, to me, the vase of dead flowers might represent whatever they thought they were looking for when they sought refuge here. As someone who was raised on the other side of understanding American society, perhaps I feel that I’m able to see something that maybe they can’t. 

I also think, though, that I identify with the withered flowers, being cut from their life source and offered as a commodity. Perhaps the individuals that uphold it are blinded to that irony, or perhaps they simply don’t want to see it.

This is an ongoing series, and I do think there’s a bit of a narrative between its sister pieces, so maybe there’s more to the story.” 

the American’s Dilemma pt. i: DRAPETOMANIA is available for collection.