Last week, the slick city streets vibrated in sync with the opening night of INNERSTATES, Bisco Smith’s latest exhibition at DTR Modern Gallery in SoHo.
Through a hypnotic blend of red, white, and blue, the show threw viewers headfirst into the whirlwind of modern America. Bisco’s flag series hit like an adrenaline rush—abstract strokes in perpetual motion, channeling both the promise and fracture of the American dream. These aren’t just flags flapping passively in the wind—they move, they scream, and they bleed.
Transcendence Through the Colors
In a country sprinting into another high-stakes election year, the American flag has become a fraught emblem—equal parts rallying cry and protest banner. But Smith doesn’t wade into partisan muck; instead, he resurrects the flag as a symbol of unity, possibility, and raw energy. His palette surges with the primal pulse of the streets—red as urgency, blue as the cool calm of reflection, and white as space to breathe amid the chaos.
Each canvas feels like an anthem that’s both sung and screamed. Smith reminds us of the flag’s origins as a beacon for a melting pot, a promise of harmony in diversity. It’s an audacious act of reclamation, where freedom and identity intertwine in the blur of motion.
The Beat of the Streets, the Brush of a Poet
Bisco Smith’s journey from graffiti artist to fine art powerhouse is a saga written in spray paint and sweat. He didn’t just learn the language of the streets—he spoke it fluently. Cutting his teeth tagging alleyways and dodging police, his art grew out of the rhythm of urban life, a symphony of fast beats, fast feet, and fast ideas.
Over the years, he refined that energy, transforming the quicksilver urgency of street art into something deeper, richer—abstract expressionism with a swagger.
In INNERSTATES, you feel the tension between spontaneity and precision. His brushstrokes move like subway trains—rushing, relentless, but guided by an invisible track. Think Pollock with headphones on, blasting hip-hop. You don’t just see these works; you feel them—the sense of speed, danger, and poetry humming beneath the surface. His pieces seem to quiver with life, suspended between chaos and control, reflecting a restless spirit that never quite settles.
Redefining Identity in the Fast Lane
America’s story has always been one of flux—change moving at breakneck speed, leaving us breathless as we try to catch up. Smith’s flag series captures this frantic energy with masterful precision. He dismantles the flag’s traditional imagery, reconstructing it in swipes and slashes, blurring lines between patriotism and protest. It’s a visual manifesto—loud, messy, and unapologetically honest.
Each piece in INNERSTATES functions as a meditation on identity—an exploration of what it means to belong in a land shaped by migration, reinvention, and contradiction. In Smith’s hands, the American flag becomes a mirror, reflecting both our collective aspirations and failures. It’s a celebration of what makes America dynamic—its fusion of cultures, ideas, and histories—but also a critique of where that promise has faltered.
The timing couldn’t be more perfect. In the heat of an election cycle, where every conversation feels like a tug-of-war over the soul of the nation, Smith’s art steps in to remind us of the bigger picture. Beneath the political noise, there is still room for unity, still space for a shared story that transcends division.
Jazz, Hip-Hop, and the Art of Controlled Chaos
Smith’s process is pure improvisation—a dance between impulse and intention. He describes his approach as “like jazz,” and you can almost hear the beats reverberating through the gallery walls.
As he works, music guides his hand, turning each canvas into a visual mixtape. His strokes mimic the cadence of freestyle rap, where every line matters, and nothing is predictable. He layers spray paint, acrylic, and ink with the precision of a street poet, building textures that feel both tangible and transient.
Opening Night: A Street Party with Style
On Oct. 24, DTR Modern Gallery threw a block party disguised as an art show. The vibe was electric, with Soho’s art crowd mingling in the gallery’s sleek interior, sipping cocktails as beats thumped through the space. Smith himself was there, moving through the crowd with the easy grace of someone who’s used to being both a creator and a performer.The works lined the walls like roadmaps for a journey you didn’t know you needed to take.
In INNERSTATES, Bisco Smith offers more than just a commentary on America—he offers a vision. His flags aren’t relics of a bygone era; they’re blueprints for the future, stitched together from the threads of the past. The show’s title hints at dual meanings: the literal highways that crisscross the nation and the psychological pathways we navigate in search of meaning, belonging, and truth.
Check out dtrmodern.com for more information and visit DTR Modern in Soho.
