Catherine Gran
Nécropole de Captain America, 2024
Ink on paper

In Nécropole de Captain America, Catherine Gran transforms the language of patriotism into a dense ceremonial monument. Shields, stars, banners, balloons, and festive emblems are assembled into a theatrical structure that resembles both a parade float and a funerary shrine. The heroic figure itself is absent, replaced by the symbols that once sustained its legend.

Gran’s meticulous ink technique gives extraordinary weight to these decorative forms. Through intricate cross-hatching and subtle tonal contrasts, ribbons, columns, and patriotic ornaments acquire the gravity of architecture. What might appear celebratory is rendered with a measured solemnity, balancing spectacle with reflection.

The work meditates on nationalism, memory, and the construction of myth. Detached from action or narrative, Captain America survives only through iconography. Gran suggests that collective heroes endure less through their deeds than through the visual symbols repeatedly built around them.