Kiyan Williams's Fried Flags and Postcolonial Critique in Milan

Peres Projects in Milan hosts the first Italian solo exhibition of American artist Kiyan Williams (born 1991, Newark). Titled "A Past That Is Future Tense," the show features sculptures and reworked American icons that critique colonial legacies. Central to Williams's practice is dark soil, symbolizing decay and regeneration. Works include "Collapsed Columns" (2023), where Doric and Corinthian capitals form an X representing non-binary gender; "Molten Statue of Freedom 1-2" (2023), neoclassical busts stained with earth and chrome, replacing the eagle with a battle helmet; and "Fried and Suspended Flag" (2023), American flags battered, spiced, and fried in a participatory performance. The spices reference colonial trade routes now absorbed into American cuisine. The exhibition runs at Peres Projects Milan, with no end date specified in the source.