Biography Barbara Kruger

BARBARA KRUGER

 Barbara Kruger not angry enough 1997                                         

This image tells me that no amount of suffering will be enough for equality between the races not even Death.

Barbara Kruger a Feminist Artist, born in Newark, New Jersey in January 26^th 1945.  She attended Syracuse University School of visual Arts,  she studied art and design at the Parson’s school of design in New York with Dianne Arbus.  Her background is in graphic design and she worked in the media for fashion magazines as picture editor and art director.

Barbara Kruger uses found images mostly from print media sources and collages words directly over them in bold black and white text with a slash of red as a border or a background.  She is known for her feminist art, conceptual art and social criticism.  Her phrases are bold, loud and she commonly uses pronouns like We, They, You, I and Your.  She questions the viewer about issues like feminism, consumerism, desire, and classicism.  She challenges the modernist ideas of originality, authenticity, subjectivity and ownership from modernist production to post-modernist reproduction.  This shift from originality to creativity was predicted by the French literacy critic Roland Barthes in his essays ‘The Death of the Author’ 1967 in other words the death of the creator and the birth of the consumer, the viewer.

  Barbara Kruger We wont play Nature to your culture  1983

In this image Kruger is challenging the  stereotypical passive feminine role, by using text from we to your, which is refer to the culture of men and women. The role here was women to play nature and be viewed by men in the world, but she is saying no.

Belief and Doubt is Barbara Kruger lastest installation at the Hirshhorn Museum and sculpture garden in Washington D.C.  Her works covers 6,700 sq. feet space, this covered the walls, floors ceilings and stairs, every inch with her signature look text on colours red, white and black.  Kruger installation needs to be cleaned daily as the foot traffic is massive.

Watch the Installation of Belief and Doubt the end result is impressive.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT4Fqpn3XYU

She is very clear in how she has chosen to display her text and what it says, as when viewers use the escalator they will look down to be meet with the words “Don’t look down on anyone” also text like “Plenty should be enough” and text spread across the floor  “Hoard it”, “Crave it”, “Break it”, and “Return it”.  There is a hidden message behind her words to the consumer, which is look at yourself before you look down on others.  As people are we never satisfied, we consume too much and to what end.  Are we a slave to consumerism trapped in the cycle created by society. 

Ms Kruger does not represent any political party, even though her exhibition is very close to congress.  Text in her exhibition reads, “Whose Power” “Whose value” “Admit nothing. Blame Everyone” Her aim is to provoke a reaction, make people ask questions about themselves and others and those in power.  What is it all about and why?  Barbara comments, “At election time, questions come in handy, right?”(Kruger, 2012)

My favourite quotes by Barbara Kruger:

"Things change and work changes. Right now I like the idea of enveloping a space and getting messages across that connect to the world in ways that seem familiar but are different." - Barbara Kruger

"I'm living my life, not buying a lifestyle." - Barbara Kruger.

References

Crow, K., (2012) 'An Artist Has Her Say-All Over a Museum's Lobby and Store' 'TheWall Street Journal' 2 August [Online] Available at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443866404577564944016522540.html (Accessed 23/04/13)

Hacking, J., (2012) ‘From Post-modernism to Globalization 1977-Present’ Photography The Whole Story. London Thames & Hudson.

The Art History Archive 'Barbara Kruger' 'Feminist Art' [Online] Available at: www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/feminist/Barbara-Kruger.html (Accessed 24/04/13)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT4Fqpn3XYU



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