February 7, 2026 (One Day Screening & Artist Talk)
Schedule
The video will be shown on loop the Saturday of Super Bowl LX weekend from 12-4 p.m.
Artist talk starting at 12:30 p.m.
About
The de Saisset, in partnership with Santa Clara University’s Center for the Art and Humanities, is pleased to present, National Anthem (2018), a 2-minute video by artist Kota Ezawa, along with a talk by the artist.
Taking the form of an animation, National Anthem documents athletes “taking a knee” during the performance of the American National Anthem at the beginning of football games. Originally performed by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, in 2016, his gesture inspired other NFL players to use the stadium to similarly protest until such demonstrations were banned in 2018. In the soundtrack accompanying the animation a string quartet performs the Anthem to applause at the end, which as a result of the images, is directed toward the players.
National Anthem is part of a series of works by Japanese-German American artist Kota Ezawa, focused on peaceful protests performed by NFL athletes in response to racial injustice and police brutality.
Pictured:
Kota Ezawa, National Anthem, 2018,
Single channel video with sound, 1:38
© Kota Ezawa, courtesy of the artist, RYAN LEE Gallery, New York, and Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco