Tropicalamerican is a limited edition of representations of the American, Puerto Rican, and Chicagoan flags. This edition was produced by Soto at the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Residency during the summer of 2014.
Rigorously crafted, these flags representations were made using a variety of tropical leaves from Rauschenberg’s Captiva terrain, collaged with simple shapes derived from traditional quilting practices. Once the collages were made, they were photographed and translated into a digital format.
Tropicalamerican approaches the patriotic art tradition that for centuries artists like Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, and David Hammons, among others, have followed with the intent of canonizing events, aesthetics, and American culture.
