Tom Sachs American Spirit, 2022

Rockets are a complex symbol because they’re the symbol of our total destruction, but also of our redemption. They’re the ultimate symbol of science. And there’s nothing more prestigious. Rockets hold us to the highest standards of excellence. — Tom Sachs

The painting American Spirit (2022) is related to Tom Sachs’s Rocket Factory project, a ‘trans-dimensional manufacturing plant’, which allows people to assemble their own rockets as NFTs, with an option for the artist to create and launch a corresponding rocket sculpture. Each of the rockets is constructed from three branded components in different colourways: a Nose Cone, Body and Tail Assembly. Characterised by its red palette, American Spirit brings together consumer products particularly associated with the USA, including Marlboro cigarettes, Budweiser lager and a can of Campbell’s tomato soup, the latter invoking the iconic silkscreen prints created by Andy Warhol as a commentary on Western consumerism. In contrast to rockets with unified branding, the artist calls these works with different combinations ‘Frankenrockets’.