NOVEMBER 14, 2024 — An exhibition at Thomaston, Maine’s Interloc gallery space is examining the influence of print-on-demand (POD) custom flags in shaping modern U.S. political expression, the Midcoast Villager reports.
Running from October 26 to December 5, 2024, “Wide Scenarios for Indoor & Outdoor,” curated by artist and professor Alex Lukas, juxtaposes familiar political imagery with custom-flag placeholders.
The show presents an array of flags featuring politically familiar symbols, but with placeholder text like “CUSTOM FLAG”. These are the templates used by online vendors to promote custom flags.
In his accompanying pamphlet, Lukas delves into POD’s capacity to normalize and elevate individualized slogans and ideological markers without any collective goal, aligning with what he describes as “a mythologized ethos of rugged individualism.” The exhibition critiques the shift from flags as unifying symbols to personal “tribal allegiances,” a trend Lukas identifies in today’s political landscape.
“While other artists have used the American flag to raise social issues or address historical injustices, POD instead reproduces a self-referential, insular iconography. It’s a digital aesthetic that finds comfort in its own coded allegiances,” Lukas writes.
Image: Alex Lukas
