O say can you see, what 100 versions of the Star-Spangled Banner reveal about America

The insurrection, which left five people dead and around 150 injured, was a blatant attack on American democracy. But it was the very emblem of that ideal—the American flag—that the mob carried more than any other that day, calling upon its stars and stripes for validation of their violence while further dividing the nation.

Violence, however, is deeply woven into the US flag’s complicated and contested symbology, as the US artist Bethany Collins explores in her new series of works titled The Star Spangled Banner.