Face It! (2007)
I shop therefore I am (1987)
1. Describe the 'style' that Kruger has used in the two presented works.
Kruger is renowned for her intriguing and charismatic pieces of graphic works – mainly posters of large and small scale. Her style mainly consists of black and white images, contrasted against a bold red colored typeface (Futura Bold Oblique) which typically state bold declarative statements directed at women, for women. In the first piece, I shop therefore I am, the pale black and white image is overridden by the dark red text and the frame which seems to contain the entire image, perhaps conveying how many women are trapped within the belief that clothes and other luxuries makes the woman.
Face It! has a much softer yet intense green scale tint compared to I shop therefore I am. The label on the lavish silky article of clothing says, “This luxurious garment won’t make you rich or beautiful.” The size and type of the quote conveys a somewhat soft yet firm voice. The gentle tone is then interrupted by the bold words which overlap the top and bottom of the poster, “Face It!” Juxtaposed by the magazine cutting behind it, I think that many viewers may see themselves and for what reason they purchase expensive garments.
Consumers of fashion acquire such deluxe clothes in order to gain something from them – status, money and maybe even companionship. Kruger reinforces the fact that clothes do not make the woman (or man), that clothes are purely forms of decoration, nothing more.
2. What are some of the concepts and messages that Kruger is communicating in them?
Kruger’s combination with imagery and text which contain criticism of sexism and the distribution of power within different cultures around the world is a frequent and recurring motif in her works. For example, I think therefore I am (“Cogito ergo sum… I think therefore I am,”) is a saying which comes from the famous French philosopher, René Descartes. It is a quote which basically means that if someone was to wonder if they truly existed, the fact that they thought about it was proof that they did.
Kruger takes the quote to a whole new materialistic level, “I shop therefore I am” conveying that we are not defined by our thoughts but by what we buy, by what we own - through shopping. I think that this piece strongly supports Kruger’s opinion of the majority of the society back then (the 80s) where worldly possessions basically classified what category you belonged in, pushing aside equality. The society nowadays, in my opinion, seems to be no different.
I think that overall, in both artworks, Kruger is trying to make the viewer think deep about their identity – who you are, what people think you are and what you think people think of you. She questions what we really are living for, what our daily lives are based on - Do we live, work and earn wages merely for these materialistic items?
3. Do these images communicate these ideas effectively? Explain your answer.
The unique approach in which Kruger illustrates her works truly captures the attention of audience. Kruger's works are direct and evoke an immediate response. The black and white cropping of a newspaper or magazine is crudely enlarged to colossal proportions, almost overwhelming the entire space of the final work. The fact that Kruger uses magazine and newspaper images for her works suggest publicity, work that everyone can see. In a way, she is advertising her own point, rebelling against everyone else’s opinions.
I think that the montage style which appear in many of her works, is used to force us to think, “Why are these fonts and images put together?” it makes us search deeper for the meaning she may have hidden behind the layers. Or perhaps there is nothing behind the layers, maybe the meaning is being portrayed right in front our eyes, above the layers.
4. Define the concept of Mercantilism and explain how these two examples can connect with the concept.
Mercantilism is an economic trade practice which dominated Western Europe from the 16th to the late 18th century. A positive balance of trade was required for the wealth and security of a country. Mercantilism was typically a cause of European wars in that time. Now, Mercantilism has died away in the West but is still practiced as Neomercantilism in many Asian countries where rather than import, exporting is more encouraged.
In contrast to the market sell psyche of today, the idea of exchanging items were quite different in during the Mercantilism era. The merchants would trade in economical items for expensive ones, whereas nowadays the rule of equivalent exchange is applied in many markets. Hence, to make a profit the merchants would haggle for the lowest price and sell expensively, consequently resulting in a profit from more exporting than importing. So basically, the wealth of a country depended on the negotiation skills of their merchants.
I shop therefore I am and Face It! both relate to the very cores of Mercantilism – Money and consumerism, especially with the green tinge that Face It! is tinted in. In the two works featured above, an idea which circulates between them is that we buy items in hope of gaining something from them. As with mercantilism, the consumer would gain something from the purchase and the merchant would gain from the trade.
5. Upload a more recent example of Kruger's work where she has used a new medium, which is not graphic design. Title your image of the chosen work and comment on your response to the work. How do you think the audience would experience this work?
Between Being Born and Dying (2009) NYC installation
In September 2009, Kruger’s “Between Being Born and Dying”, a major installation commissioned by the Lever House Art Collection, opened at the New York City architectural landmark Lever House.
Kruger’s style is strongly distinguished, with her clean cut text (futura) and simple, to the point statements. She does not try to make the installation decorative or visually pleasing to the eye, what is in front of the viewer is what she wants the viewer to see.
With this piece, I think that the viewers would feel completely engulfed by the bold and striking text and statements which cover the entire floors, ceilings and walls of the installation space. Some of the letters are as high as five hundred meters, dwarfing the average sized person. As with many of her other works, Between being Born and Dying relates to the harsh reality of social life - what we mean to each other and how we criticize based only on what we see and what we hear.
The entire area is composed of statements which are ironic, snippy and unpleasant yet true. The fact that the text color palette consists of only black and white communicates to the viewer, there is no maybe with these comments, only a yes or a no. In my opinion, many viewers would find the installation intriguing to explore.
It's almost like a treasure hunt where you look for phrases you agree with while ignoring or bashing the phrases you disagree with.
It's almost like a treasure hunt where you look for phrases you agree with while ignoring or bashing the phrases you disagree with.
Reference List
Signs of Post Modernity (2005)http://www.wdog.com/rider/writings/real_kruger.htm
Between Being Born and Dying (2011)
http://www.modernamuseet.se/en/Moderna-Museet/PressRoom/Exhibitions/Stockholm/Barbara-Kruger/
The History Art Archive - Feminist Artist (updated 2011)
http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/feminist/Barbara-Kruger.html
Barbara Kruger
http://www.umich.edu/~ws483/Kruger.html
