The work of art by artist and activist Barbara Kruger lies at the intersection of power, capitalism, identity politics and feminism. Barbara Kruger is an American conceptual artist born in New Jersey in 1945. Her work combines graphic design, poetry and photography to seamlessly initiate a discussion about social inequality, sexism and women’s rights. She can look back on an impressive journey into graphic design Condé Nast Publications And Mademoiselle Magazine in the 1960s and became involved in mass communications and media advertising before developing her own distinctive style.
Barbara Kruger chronicles a society marked by inherent class divisions, patriarchal systems designed to oppress and oppress women, and a descent into rampant consumerism. She gained fame through her sensational works of art, which usually consist of a Futura Bold font on a red background and collaged images overlaid with provocative political, social or feminist texts.
Barbara Kruger chronicled a society marked by inherent class divisions, patriarchal systems designed to oppress and oppress women, and a descent into rampant consumerism, and gained fame through her sensational artworks
Her white-on-red style, Untitled (I Shop, Therefore I Am) (1987) is designed as a clever, incisive critique of frivolous consumerism in contemporary culture. Kruger uses black, white and classic red to give the image a retrograde aesthetic that suggests the time-tested prevalence of overconsumption. The intertextual dialogue between Descartes’ famous statement “I think, therefore I am” and Kruger’s subversive text “I buy, therefore I am” offers a pointed commentary: Descartes uttered these words to prove his own existence, to inspire confidence in the belief that one exists as a tangible vessel because of one’s capacity for original thought, critical analysis, and self-determined goals.
But Krueger’s appropriation has exactly the opposite effect: Instead of inspiring a sense of intellectual curiosity about the search for knowledge on a vast earth with vast possibilities, it functions as a mockery, a sharp rebuke, of how drastically our priorities have changed from the pursuit of creation to the trivial crusade of conspicuous consumption, which is supposedly the only way to underpin one’s consciousness. It seems that now more than ever, the purchase of consumer goods defines us as sentient beings.
Commodity of being: “I buy, therefore I am”
“Untitled (You are Not Yourself)” (1982) shows a broken mirror reflecting the many faces of a desperate woman. This bold artwork appears to point to the fragmentation of women’s identities, requiring them to take on contradictory roles in society and subjecting them to harsh, often contradictory stereotypes. As Molly Haskel once proclaimed, “It was a divide.” [between the way I saw myself… and the way I was expected to behave] this has updated the age-old dualism between body and soul, virgin and whore.’ As a woman looks into the reflective glass, she realizes that her behavior has no bearing on her true identity, having been forced to wear all the faces the patriarchal paradigm demands of her, but she knows that none of those faces are her – she is not herself. Kruger herself said in 1991: interview that: “I would venture to guess that many people pay attention to their mirror at least five times a day and that vigilance can certainly structure physical and psychological identity.”
The famous quote from Simone De Beauvoir comes to mind: “One is not born a woman, but becomes a woman,” which underlines the fact that once the mirror of illusions is shattered, gender becomes nothing more than a social construct. The crudely pasted letters on the mirror’s surface seem jarring compared to the usual “not” in the center of the image – the “not” represents an interjection, a warning that regardless of the gender hierarchy that institutionally controls women’s fate, they must wake up from their stupor and take a good look at themselves in the mirror – even if it breaks.
“Your body is a battlefield”
“Untitled (We don’t need another hero)” (1987) examines another dimension of power that is embedded in our everyday lives – patriarchy. Intended as a denigration of toxic masculinity and the social construct of men as the cavalier saviors of humanity, this artwork depicts a young boy grimacing and flexing his muscles to face staring female eyes and a mouth gaping in disbelief.
This describes the indoctrination of male youth into the patriarchal paradigm and shows how boys learn to base their self-esteem and social entitlement on displays of fearfulness and strength that they believe will captivate the “second sex”. Kruger used the word “other,” suggesting that this little boy represents the countless others who test themselves to achieve such narrow-minded goals. The challenge is to either be the strongest and bravest knight in shining armor to save the damsels in distress or face insignificance. Kruger draws attention to the futility of the all-encompassing “hero” and exposes the roots of gender hierarchy in the aspirations of youth, perpetuating the timeless cycle of subservience and domination.
Barbara Kruger’s piece “Untitled (Your body is a Battleground)” (1989) was written for a pro-choice rally in Washington in 1989 and addressed the debate over reproductive health that culminated in a movement for gender equality after the landmark year of 1973 Roe V Wade A resolution was passed in favor of legalizing abortion.
It depicts a woman’s symmetrical, mannequin-like face, bisected in half to reveal two halves of the same image, one positively developed and the other negatively developed. The woman embodies true conventional beauty: prominent cheekbones, perfectly shaped eyebrows, upturned eyes, fuller and luscious lips and a delicate nose that perfectly emphasizes the sharp proportions of her face – she is the epitome of the beauty standard, but this perfection is disturbing in its artificiality.
With this dramatic imagery, Kruger declares that our bodies belong to us and that we must reclaim the authority and control that men have exercised over our physical and mental autonomy. Our bodies are the macabre battlefields of rampant sexism. From the maternal birther to the widowed sex worker, our bodies were under institutional control from the day we were released from the womb until the day we were lowered into our graves. This visual dichotomy suggests that women live in a state of constant contradiction, never able to fully meet the contradictory demands placed on them. It is an ongoing war against systems that seek to define, control and profit from women’s bodies.
Insha Hamid works in film and television and has a strong interest in intersectional feminism, public policy, and how progress can be achieved at the intersection of economic development and social justice. When she’s not immersed in a philosophy book or writing a political article, you can find her headbanging at a death metal gig, shredding a rock song on the drums, or filming a horror movie with her Canon 6D Mark II.
