• Nine - Image 1
  • Nine - Image 2
  • Nine - Image 3
  • Nine - Image 4
1 4

Alfonse Pagano

Nine

Nine

¥922,368 JPY
¥922,368 JPY
Sale Sold out
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Edition
"Nine," part of a greater series "Rush to Relics " is a powerful exploration of American symbolism. Crafted from soft fabric, the piece is a deconstruction of the iconic stars and stripes, deliberately manipulated to evoke a profound emotional departure from its origins. The artist's skillful use of materials and technique transforms familiar elements into something entirely new, inviting viewers to reconsider their associations with the flag. Born from a place of shock and heartbreak following the 2016 US election, this artwork captures a specific moment of national unease. The title, "Nine," directly references the nine justices of the Supreme Court, adding a layer of political commentary to the distressed and torn fabric. It speaks to a feeling of loss and a questioning of foundational ideals within the context of democracy.

Artwork Details

Artist:
Alfonse Pagano
Artist Gallery:
View all works by Alfonse Pagano
Year Created:
2020
Dimensions:
96 × 72 × 16in
Edition:
Original 1/1
Style:
Pagano turns the American flag into a dense, vertical field of torn fabric, with the stars and stripes stacked into a rough, breathing mass that reads first as emblem and then as wound. The palette is uncompromising: deep navy, faded red, and bleached cream, broken by frayed seams, exposed edges, and the matte softness of cloth rather than the authority of polished surface. The composition compresses multiple flag segments into a tight frontal arrangement, allowing repetition, abrasion, and hanging strips to carry the work’s charge. It stands in direct conversation with postwar assemblage, political textile work, and the flag investigations of Jasper Johns, Ed Ruscha’s image critique, and the material frankness of contemporary soft sculpture.
Tags:
political assemblage,american flag,soft sculpture,textile,distressed fabric,postminimalism,patriotic iconography,red white and blue,contemporary abstraction

About Alfonse Pagano

Alfonse Pagano creates original artwork available to collect on Art Emerge, an AI-powered marketplace for artists and collectors.

Born in 1951 in Paterson, New Jersey, into a third-generation Italian American family. Paterson was gritty, vibrant, and full of contradictions—elements that continue to shape how He sees and make art. Raised by a single mother who saw his creative spark early, He was given freedom to explore. By fourteen, He knew art wasn’t a hobby—it was a path. Though He studied briefly at the School of Visual Arts, He is mostly self-taught. Alfonse learned by making, reading, and working with others—most memorably, Len Lye in the early ’70s. His energy and commitment left a mark. Alfonse has had many studios the first one was above Beacon Paints on the corner of Amsterdam and 78 Street.

Artist Statement

I began somewhere in the late 1960s, working with cardboard, photographs, and found images—early attempts to understand and organize my world, to hold a fragment of landscape, memory, and human presence as a visual object.. Even then, what mattered to me was not only what the object became, but the act of altering it: cutting, burning, layering, erasing, and rebuilding. The action itself carried as much weight as the final form.I have allways divided my time between painting and sculpture and the combining of the two.

Selected Highlights

  • All Politics Are Local, Jackson Junge Gallery, Chicago, IL
  • Rituals and Identity, Ann Street Gallery, Newburgh, NY
  • Dreads, WBGO Gallery, Newark, NJ
  • Dreads, Paterson Museum, Paterson, NJ
  • Dreads, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT

Website · Instagram · Facebook

Browse available works below.

View full details