Week 6 last blog for semester 2-Barbara Kruger

American conceptual/pop artistBarbara Kruger is internationally renowned for her signature black, white and red poster-style works of art that convey in-your-face messages on women's 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 photomurals displayed on billboards, bus stops and public transportation as well as in major museums and galleries wordwide. 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.

Barbara Krugers artwork is really quite bold and powerful. It grabs your attention and almost slaps you across the face with its bold messages. One that really caught my eye was 'We don't need another hero'

To me, the work speaks about how everyone grows up with grand dreams of some kind, but no one really achieves them, often because they are impossible. I wanted to grow up to be a transformer, but despite my best efforts I can still only turn one of my hands into a side mirror, and what use is that really. It also looks as if the boy is trying to show how tough he is to the girl, playing on sexual stereotypes about how men are stronger and women need them to look after them.

This new work of Krugers also caught my eye, "Untitled/Chess Board"

It shows her progression from flat 2d posters to something more 3d and contemporary art like, incorporating scultpure while still maintaining her bold black white and red distinctive style. The work speaks to me about how we're all just pawns in some grandscheme of the rich and powerful, almost tieing in to the whole illuminati grand scheme conspiracy theory, with the phrase "you have no choice" particularly catching my eye, as if to say "you're already someones pawn, and you're stuck in it, in this society, you cant change, you cant get out, you have no choice".

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?

I think the audience experiences a spatial or installation art work differently from a poster in that the audience becomes part of the work. When you stand and look at a poster, its nice to look at, but thats just it, you just look at it. Something spatial that you can move and walk through, or even interact with, engages the audience more and helps convey the artists meaning.

What elements does Kruger use in her work to create a strong impact?

Contrasting black and white images with bold red and white lettering. Quite stattic almost serene photography that often seems to contrast with the text also seems to be an apparent element, where the picture by itself might seem somewhat harmless and fine, as soon as you combine it with the text it becomes something completely different, and the meaning changes, which I think is her strongest element.

Comment on the development of her work over the last 30 years.

It's quite impressive the way her work has changed and yet not changed. Her work has progressed from simple posters into full spatial installations with video and audio, but her distinctive style is still there, showing you it is definately a Kruger work. Personally I think the fact she has stuck with such a distinctive style all this way is impressive, others might call it lazy, but I think theres a fineline between not improving and not fixing what isnt broke.

Comment on the examples that you find on other students blogs.

sunday, august 22, 2010

Images courtesy of http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/feminist/Barbara-Kruger.html

Week 5 - Kehinde Wiley

Week 5 - Kehinde Wiley

Kahinde Wiley is a Gay American based painter born in Los Angeles, who has an international reputation living between Pe King and Brooklyn.

Last weeks ALVC class focused on the Post Modern them "INTERTEXTUALITY", re-read Extract 1 The death of the author on page 44 of your ALVC books and respond to the oil paintings of Kehinde Wiley. How do we make sense of his Kehinde's work? Identify intertextuality in Kehinde's work?

Kehinde's work relates to this weeks Post Modern theme "PLURALISM" re-read page 50 and discuss how the work relates to this theme?

Kehinde's work raises questions around social/cultural hierarchies , colonisation, globalisation, stereotypes and the politics which govern a western worldview.

Information on specific paintings was difficult to obtain however Matt has the info for the last 2 paintings.

3. Kehinde Wiley Count Potocki, 2008 oil on canvas, 274.3 x 274.3cm

4. Kehinde Wiley Support Army and Look after People, 2007 oil on canvas, 258.4 x 227.3cm

thursday, august 5, 2010

Kehinde Wiley's work is really interesting, on one side they look like something you wouldn't see out of place on a rap album cover or in 50 cents new music video, but on the otherhand the floral like patterns give them a very old antique feel (also, I'm pretty sure my Nana's curtains are in that exact pattern :P)

The paintings speak heavily of pluralism, what with the depiction of black african male stereotypes, sporting gang colours and bandanas, however that in itself is a good example of the death of the author. When I look at the first work I see some 'thug gangsta' pulling gangsigns and sporting gang colours, but i've never actually met someone quite that 'gangsta' so they only reason I must be perceiving it as this is the stereotype i've learnt from media and tv.

It is said that during modernity, middle class white culure was more high or civilised, so depicting black males as the main counterparts of these pictures could be considered very post-modern. Although that said, im sitting here worrying that if I say that I dont like these paintings, would that be interpreted as racism? God I hate political correctness.

The pictures depicting strong male figures riding valiant horses could be seen as quite phallic in origin, what with the whole stereotypical rumour of black males been qutie 'well hung' and horses beings the stereotypical large penis animal most people think of (even though a barnacles is WAY longer in terms of body length for those of you playing at home). It's also like something you'd see out of a war painting, especially painting number 2 which reminded me of the famous painting of George Washington next to a regal looking white horse, which I suppose is another example of intertextuality. These pictures seem to be riddled with intertextuality, especially the references to my nanas curtains, the patterns are seriously uncanny, focussing on the background patterns alone is bringing back a rush of childhood memories, which is rather unnerving.