Barbara Kruger• Born in New Jersey in 1945.• Often described as a 'social

commentator and a political agitator'

• Worked early in career as a graphic designer, art director and picture editor.

• Kruger’s artworks appear in museums and galleries on billboards, bus cards, posters, parks, signs, train platforms and various other public places making her work highly accessible to all (not just us art folk).

BARBARA KRUGER

• Kruger focuses her attention on social issues which expose myths that surround capitalism, consumerism, the power of the media and sex stereotyping.

• Kruger’s messages are succinct, pungent, confrontational and aimed at hitting quickly with extreme force- just like advertising.

• Trademark black letters lay against a slash of red background.• Instantly recognizable slogans

which challenge and test her viewers.• Easy to identify with- using

relevant issues of contemporary society throughout her works.• Hard not to provoke personal

and ‘real’ discussions with its audience.• Comment on the woman’s role

in this work who has been ‘put in place’ by another…

• Confronting, demanding and persuasive text.• Gives viewers a sense of

promise and/or hope, yet we are not actually told what we are purchasing.• Relaying that consumerism

and has the power to simply ‘change the world’

SLOGANS• Kruger includes well known

slogans to draw in her viewers. • Consumerism is present in

Kruger’s work as she explores themes of greed, self-indulgence and manipulation. • Kruger chooses to use only

b+w in the background as she wishes for her text to be seen first-- from this we gain an impression which is then, often changed by the image that follows.

Feminism• Kruger was highly influenced by the

feminist movement in America.

• Kruger was regularly fighting for equal rights and opportunities in her confronting compositions.

• Kruger allowed this image to be displayed on postcards and flags with the added text during a pro-choice rally in Washington D.C during election month.

• Kruger wanted to make a political statement in this work, what do you think that statement is about??

• What do you think the word ‘battleground’ implies in this context??

Double Meaning• Kruger often exposes us to an

aesthetically pleasing image with a hidden under text.

• Kruger simply does not want to give us the meaning of her work. She wants to challenge us, to provoke interest for us to question her method- Essentially how we translate Kruger’s compositions is up to our own experiences, knowledge and personal interpretation.

• This composition uses a mirror and one’s reflected image. By looking at the image and text separately explain why she displayed the text the way that she did.

Homework - Post Modern • Look through newspapers or magazines and find an image

which you think has a strong message that you could appropriate. Eg) smoking, drink driving, skin cancer, plastic surgery, cruelty to animals etc.• Cut out this image and stick it in your sketchbook • Now start brainstorming for original slogans which could

single-handedly destroy your images message.• Once you have decided on a slogan use text in magazines to

cut out and create on top of the magazine image or use red and white paint to write out.• Once complete turn in as a single piece of paper or with your

sketchbook.