The residue of arrogance

Eddie Colla is known for his powerful and communicative portraits. The American artist began making art in the streets in the 1980s. To this day, he mostly paints people with the hope that viewers recognize themselves in his work.

Eddie’s work often calls attention to how the future of our society is unfolding politically. This is also the theme of The Residue of Arrogance, which shows a topless woman posing in front of an American flag and hiding her breasts. The image symbolizes the erosion of freedom and rise of self-censorship in a post 9/11 America.

Many, however, assume The Residue of Arrogance is about racism, which, the artist says, adds another layer of social complexity to his piece: “In my mind, the figure was simply an individual, an American. Yet because she is African-American, to many people, the ‘individual’ becomes a representation of an entire race of people. Isn’t that exactly what racism is?” / Eddie Colla