Flag of Angola is a sculptural reconstruction of the national flag of Angola, developed during Paulo Moreira’s first fieldwork trip to Luanda in 2010, at the outset of his doctoral research. The project transforms the flag into a three-dimensional object assembled from found materials and built through local labour, embedding a national symbol within the material realities of the city.
Produced in Luanda using reclaimed and readily available materials, the work emerged from a direct engagement with local construction practices, economies of reuse, and the informal processes that shape much of the urban environment. The familiar red and black composition of the Angolan flag is reinterpreted through a mixture of coloured concrete and other materials, whose textures, and shadows shift attention from the symbolic image itself to the conditions of its making.
Created at the beginning of a long-term investigation into urban transformation, informality, and spatial inequality in Angola, Flag of Angola can be understood as both an artwork and a research device. It reflects on questions of nationhood, representation, labour, and material culture, while grounding these themes in the everyday realities of Luanda.
The work was first exhibited at Galeria Celamar, Luanda, where it opened on 18 October 2010.