Black artist from South Carolina uses images of Confederate flag to create haunting works

Flag (Commemoration Revisited) by Leo Twiggs. From leotwiggs.com.

ORANGEBURG, S.C.—Leo Twiggs paints shadowy Confederate flags and faceless men with bulls-eyes on their backs, just a few of the haunting images he’s developed living as a black man in the South.

The 80-year-old South Carolina artist says he hopes the works spark thoughtful reactions and help people understand their shared history, even for those outside the South.

Twiggs is enjoying his best year as an artist. He’s had more than 70 solo shows over his career, and three new shows recently opened in his home state in Myrtle Beach, Greenville and Taylors.

Two of them highlight his use of Confederate flags.