Barbara Kruger call me an Anti-Consumerist!

Barbara Kruger 

Barbara Kruger is an American conceptual/pop artist. Her work is heavily influenced by Andy Warhol, which she is now internationally renowned for. 'Kruger finds images from mid-century American print- media sources with words collaged directly over them'. Her artwork is politically motivated by corporate greed, gender, sex, racial stereotypes, consumerism, feminism, politics and power. During the 1980's Kruger created her own unique style, 'using cropped, large scale, black and white photographic images with ironic aphorism, printed in bold deep red text bars across the images'.(Art history archive)In my opinion I don't think Kruger's work is particularly special, there's nothing really shocking about her images or that original. Her work tries to be a radical commentary on modernity, but in fact looks like kitsch merchandise you can purchase in small shops or even Urban Outfitters, a store which is the epitome of materialistic mass consumerism but frequented by the 'oh were so unique and cool' pretentious East Londoners that have invaded Brick Lane. Like them her work is a paradigm of trying too hard and ultimately failing in gaining the credibility that is so obviously craved. Not to mention her artwork is a contradiction in itself as she shamefully defiles consumerism, whilst people pay a small fortune for one of her pieces. It's an ironic twist that her existence is paid for by the values she esposes to revile. She is not unique, she is just another copycat artist, attacking easy targets such as greed and consumerism which she perhaps fails to realise are not such awful realities especially for Americans like herself. For if it were not for America exporting (I actually mean jamming down the throat) it's consumerist ideals to Latin America (where they could hardly afford it) then where would all that revenue to fund state education, as well as probably her own, in America have come from. On second thoughts if it meant that I wouldn't have to see another tired, unoriginal, conceptual artist's work again then take my Vogue, cut up my credit cards and call me an anti-consumerist!

Available at: http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/feminist/Barbara-Kruger.html (accessed:28 March 2012)