Paste Up
Barbara Kruger
“An artist who works with pictures and words”Untitled (We decorate your life), Collage, 7 x 7 inches
Last chance to check out collage artist Barbara Kruger’s early work at Sprüth Magers London, closing January 23. After holding graphic designer and art director positions at publications like Mademoiselle and Aperture, Kruger siezed the simple imagery and texts of advertising for her own paste ups. Ironic slogans, invented or clipped directly from the media, in Futura font stand out boldly and turn close shots of faces and objects into incisive critiques of authority, capitalism, consumerism and social identity. Kruger’s paste ups seem part of our daily imagery: DIY flyers, notebooks, book and DVD covers, post cards all resemble Kruger’s art, but her paste ups use the communicability of this style to its fullest potential. Her early small-scale, monochrome pieces, infused with poignant and political messages are on view now.
http://spruethmagers.net/home/Untitled (You are a very special person), Collage (color), 5.4 x 7.5 inchesUntitled (Are we having fun yet?), Collage (color), 8.3 x 5.7 inches