American conceptual/pop artist Barbara Kruger is internationally renowned for her signature black, white and red-poster style works of art that convey in-your-face messages on womens rights and issues of power. Coming out of the magazine publishing industry, Kruger knows precisely how to capture the viewer's attention with her bold and witty photo murals displayed on billboards, bus stops and public transportation as well as in major museums and galleries worldwide. She has edited books on cultural theory, including Remaking History for the Dia Foundation, and has published articles in the New York Times, Artforum, and other periodicals. Monographs on her work include Love for Sale, We Won't Play Nature to Your Culture and others. She is represented in New York by Mary Boone Gallery. A major exhibition of her work will be presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles in fall 1999, and at the Whitney Museum in New York in 2000.
Research Kruger's work to find an example from the 1970s or 1980s to compare with a more recent work. How has Kruger's work changed with the developments in contemporary visual arts? Describe a recent work that moves away from the 'poster' type work of her early career.
Kruger has created works that tends to speak towards her audiences about real life scenarios that is constantly goes on in our world, her work consistently develops throughout the past years from creating messages on to a poster like image and recently evolving it into a spatial and/or installation style work. She still maintains to keep her signature bold texts and her intense topics in her art pieces, which she is known for, although she develops her techniques into a more modern style, which I must say has a uniqueness to it!
Untitled ( Not Perfect) 1980
Research Kruger's work to find an example from the 1970s or 1980s to compare with a more recent work. How has Kruger's work changed with the developments in contemporary visual arts? Describe a recent work that moves away from the 'poster' type work of her early career.
Kruger's photographs is mainly constructed around the idea of self-identity, desire and public opinions towards ourselves, which is an on-going manipulation from the mass media. Her red-bordered montages of words and images are featured in her work to really captivate her viewers attention, her works are often seen on billboards, T-shirts and posters, it explores the typical cliches and cultural stereotypes that seem to control our societies, even today. "She reapportions the power of cultural iconography and commercial images, robbing the slick conveyances of societal assimilation of their strength and giving it to her audience in a form of knowledge." (Rider, n.d.)
Between Being Born and Dying
Kruger recently launch an installation work in New York City, she relates this work on modern society today with our obsession of 'media bombardment'. Her signature bold text is still featured in her works, although this time she constructs her ideas and comments on topics such as 'political issues, feminism, consumerism, individual autonomy and desire.' In this work, Kruger moves away from her well-known "poster" type works and develops it more into a contemporary/spatial/installation art, the exhibition is covered and filled from floor to ceiling of comments towards her ideas.
Find 2-3 works by Kruger to add to your blog.
How does the audience experience a more spatial, installation art work compared with a poster?
In my opinion, with Kruger's recent work of 'Between Being Born and Dying' it has elements and techniques of spatial and/or installation art, her use of space and bold texts interacts and plays with viewers while also maintaining to keep her main ideas the focal point of this piece.
What elements does Kruger use in her work to create a strong impact?
It's her signature bold texts and strong messages, Kruger bases her theories around real world scenarios that is why viewers are so captivated by her works.
Comment on the development of her work over the last 30 years.
Kruger has created works that tends to speak towards her audiences about real life scenarios that is constantly goes on in our world, her work consistently develops throughout the past years from creating messages on to a poster like image and recently evolving it into a spatial and/or installation style work. She still maintains to keep her signature bold texts and her intense topics in her art pieces, which she is known for, although she develops her techniques into a more modern style, which I must say has a uniqueness to it!
References
Barbara Kruger (n.d.) Retrieved September 1st, 2010, from http://www.guggenheim.org/
Rider. S, Barbara Kruger: signs of post modernity (n.d.) Retrieved September 1st, 2010, from http://www.wdog.com/rider/writings/real_kruger.htm
Hi Charize i like Kruger's work'' Between Being Born and Dying'' because it's kinda of installation and the idea about the words in black and white.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of her work is feminism.
Hi~~
ReplyDeleteI agree with your opinion that Kruger's recent works are much more spitailly and visualable than before.I think that is a kind of generally changing that a lot of artists did to develop their style, from 2D to 3D. I like her work 'Between Being Born and Dying' as well.it seems can give viewers much stronger feeling than the posters.however,I still like her posters in the early years.It communicate very well with the viewers and them have never limited the imagination of people even them almost have only one frame.
Hey Charize, great blog! I got a really good sense of Kruger's message, especially about how she feels towards the media. I really like how this has remained consistent for her and how even now that she's famous she's still humble and down to earth, showing up at her Between Being Born and Dying exhibition in casual clothing.
ReplyDeleteI think the spatial style suits her because her main concern has always been the viewer, and spatial is all about involving the audience.
SUP GEE!~ last blog YES, anyway, great selection Kruger's work, gotta love the room installations and how its so 'in your face'. Its also good how you point how her works revolve around feminism and is a great female figure for those who want to do something like her. The Between Being Born and Dying installation is also very interesting as it appeals like her 2D works in a 3D reality room.
ReplyDeleteHi Charize, I also agree that the style of Kruger's work has changed over the years. I also think that Spatial installments are very powerful because of their shear size. This is good because it lets the audience view her work on such a large scale instead of a small poster on the wall. It is also good because the size of the work does not let the audience escape so the point Kruger is showing to her audience is more effective. Her style of work going from 2D wall posters to large digital images is also a huge change for the artist. Only time will tell if it is effective.
ReplyDeleteyeah I agree that she engages audience so much is that she is dealing with current issues. I also think it is because her strong political opinions is signified in her works. I think that is really what every artist/designer should do, expressing their deep ideas or opinions to their works.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with installation interacts while really speaking out its ideas. I love her installation because she uses typography in 3 dimensional space that makes the space itself quite graphic. I do like her typical style of poster works but I guess it is too widely known like there are people out there to copy or follow her vintage style so I found it not that creative
yeah i agree with daren.. yeaah lastblog, well anyway great work on your blog charice.. well i love krugers views on feminism and consumerism but i have to agree with Eunice she lacks a bit of creativity but i still enjoyed looking at her work
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about how her works communicate effectively because they deal with real world situations. I didn't think of that, but it's true. A lot of art fails to really connect with the average person, because the average person does not think like an artist unless they are given some time to contemplate it, or a pushed in a certain direction. With a background in advertising, she definitely knows how to communicate with the average person, and maybe that's why her works have become so famous and so effective - they apply to everyone.
ReplyDeleteI agree your posting.
ReplyDelete[untitled (between being born and dying), 2008]
It is recent work in her works for Moderna Museet’s 50th anniversary in 2008.
It was installed in museum by posters. she used images which was taken by her and text. The expression which was mixed photos and words or sentences usually shows black and white photos and the red and white texts. This work is poster style but it looks like interior or installation art in the museum as well. I think this work was made more develop by her than existing other works.
I think spatial art and installation are 3D works which show three-dimensional structure but 2D works such as visual art and graphic art like poster which show flat structure. When 3D artist make works, they always use materials which can be solid things so viewers feel various things in one space. On the other hand her work looks like 3D but her material or her expression ways is 2D. She made by both 2D and 3D so audience experience is more spatial than existing other 2D and 3D works.