*In many ways, the confrontational cover of this issue needs no explanation: Lady Liberty is dead. But when A.i.A. sat down with the artist Puppies Puppies (Jade Guanaro Kuriki-Olivo) to talk about her sculpture *Liberté Morte (Dead Liberty)*, 2025, she shared an enlightening story about how the work extends the lineage of her lexicon.*

In 2016, I had a solo show in Paris and decided to consider the exchange that happened between France and the US. I had worked for Liberty Tax, where people would stand outside with signs, wearing Statue of Liberty costumes. For *Liberty (Liberté)*, 2017, I performed as the statue and then restaged it for the 2017 Whitney Biennial in the museum’s outdoor areas. I’d been performing a lot in public spaces, work that stems from my time as a mascot in high school.

I’ve also made work around the color green for years. That interest originated because I thought it was my mom’s favorite color, but later I found out that it actually isn’t.…