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Bethany Collins

The Star Spangled Banner

2021–present

And the glory of death for the Stripes and the Stars (The Stripes and the Stars), 2022

And the glory of death for the Stripes and the Stars (The Stripes and the Stars), 2022
Charcoal and acrylic on panel
48 x 72 x 2 in

Land of the brave, 2022, Charcoal and acrylic on panel

Land of the brave, 2022

Charcoal and acrylic on panel

32 x 46 x 2 in

Land of the freed, 2022, Charcoal and acrylic on panel

Land of the freed, 2022

Charcoal and acrylic on panel

32 x 46 x 2 in

Land of the thief, 2022, Charcoal and acrylic on panel

Land of the thief, 2022

Charcoal and acrylic on panel

32 x 46 x 2 in

Where the lash is made red in the blood of the slave (The Chase), 2021, Charcoal and acrylic on panel

Where the lash is made red in the blood of the slave (The Chase), 2021

Charcoal and acrylic on panel

48 x 72 x 2 in

Land of the tyrant, 2022, Charcoal and acrylic on panel

Land of the tyrant, 2022

Charcoal and acrylic on panel

32 x 46 x 2 in

Expanding upon the formal and conceptual concerns of her earlier series like Blue Noise, Red Noise, and Dixie’s Land (1859–2001), Bethany Collins’s Star Spangled Banner (2022) series reflects on the incendiary nature of US politics by excerpting lyrics from different versions of the national anthem. Highlighting alternative versions of the national anthem, Collins’s works expose how dramatically the iconic song has been changed, altered, and adapted since its original 1814 rendition. Lyrics like “land of the brave,” “land of the free,” “land of the freed,” “land of the tyrant,” “land of the south,” and “land of the slave” reveal the different ways in which the song has been deployed during pivotal moments in U.S. history. By including later rewrites from the Confederate and abolitionist parties, Collins reconsiders the language of violence, reworking each description of the land into a constellation of concrete poetry against dark blue fields of color.