The inspiring works of conceptual artist Barbara Kruger will make you momentarily forget about the omnipresent coronavirus and reflect on their message.
They are characterized by black-and-white photographs overprinted with comments in a thick, strong typeface (usually Futura Bold), forming a whole with the image. The artist criticizes the world she lives in, addressing topics such as feminism, consumerism, materialism, and voyeurism.
These works were created in the 1980s, but they address the same problems that have not been overcome since then.
See our favorites:
1. Untitled (Your gaze hits the side of my face) 1981
This is a typically feminist work. It is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
The use of a Greek sculpture showing the idealized facial features of a woman, with an overlaid sentence, draws attention to the male gaze and the motif of voyeurism. It aims to show woman as an object that can be assessed and classified in a second. There is also speculation about the strong, sharp shadow on the sculpture's cheek. It can be read as a bruise, in the context of psychological violence caused by the male gaze. Meanwhile, the sharp features carved in stone are meant to show that woman is not powerless; on the contrary, she overcomes men's gazes, which see her only as an object, not a human being.
2. Untitled, I shop therefore I am 1987
This work refers to omnipresent consumerism. The words "I shop therefore I am" suggest that we need to buy new products to feel part of society. The viewer asks themselves: Why am I buying? Do I need this? Can I afford it? The image itself shows a hand in motion; it looks as if the hand is about to grab some product, put it in a basket, and buy it. This is a theme refreshed in our times. We fight materialism to reduce our impact on the climate crisis. This iconic message was ironically printed on many objects supporting consumerism, such as coffee mugs, shopping bags, or T-shirts.
Barbara Kruger the artist and her three iconic works
3. Untitled, Your body is the battleground 1989
The work shows a woman's face divided in half; one side is a black-and-white photograph of a woman, and the other is its negative. The woman looks straight ahead; the observer has the impression that she is looking at him. She opposes the male gaze through a strong female gaze. The image is accompanied by the words "Your body is the battleground." The woman's face is ideal; one half is exactly the same as the other, like a mirror reflection. It represents not a specific woman, but the whole female community. She is an object of beauty.
Summary
In three iconic works from the 1980s, Barbara Kruger exposes mechanisms of power: the male gaze objectifying women, consumerism defining identity, and the body as an arena of social pressures. The artist's works, created with black-and-white photographs and comments in Futura Bold, remain relevant in the era of the climate crisis and debates about bodily autonomy.
An interesting fact is that the ironic phrase "I shop therefore I am" ended up on everyday objects such as mugs and bags, itself becoming part of the consumer pop culture it originally criticized.
