This artwork was created to speak to the idea of collective identity at this moment in time, within the United States. Created for the American semisesquicentennial, the artwork reflects a perception of democracy as something that is always and forever evolving. At its core, the sculpture asks who the “We” is in the phrase “We the People.” Here, the first words in the US Constitution are reproduced on a larger-than-life scale in welded steel components (reclaimed heavy duty steel chains). Viewers are invited to imagine liberty, equality, and justice for all as guideposts within a living document, that we can strive to make more inclusive over time.
As an immigrant artist, I speak about location and dislocation, moving and homemaking, identities and belonging and ask viewers to reflect on the power dynamics that have shaped this country over time, and that continue to shape it, in the present moment. The chains out of which the sculpture is made are symbols of enslavement and oppression: the artwork asks on whose backs this country was built and whose interests it continues to serve. Who are “we” and how can “we” rise above our circumstances to form a more perfect union? Located at the Art Complex Museum in Duxbury, MA, the work explores the tension inherent in both celebrating the birth of a nation and drawing attention to all the people present at the founding, who were not invited to the party.
We the People, 2026. Outdoor public art commission produced for Under Construction:
America at 250, Art Complex Museum, Welded steel chain, 2l’ x 6′ x 2.