You may recognize the white Futura Bold text on a red background in the picture to the left. The brand Supreme, which was founded in 1994, was inspired by the conceptual and post modern feminist artist Barbara Kruger. Kruger's work provided social, cultural and political critique during the "Reaganomics" era. She was most-famously known for her collages that placed bold captions on black and white photos. During the 80s and 90s her art could be found on t-shirts, posters, billboards and magazines, and she even dappled in huge installations. Kruger's most famous work, "Untitled (I shop therefore I am), refers to the stereotypical portrayal of women who "live for shopping." The text is based on philosopher Rene Descartes' phrase "I think therefore I am." The masculine hand in the background represents how media and advertising directed towards women is usually created by men and their assumptions. Kruger criticizes both consumer society and the assumption that women require only material goods to keep them happy. Another important piece of Kruger's is "Untitled (Your body is a battleground)," which was created in 1989 for the Women's March on Washington that advocated for reproductive freedom. It demonstrates the struggles that women faced as laws were being made about them.
I liked how you wrote about the implications of Kruger's designs; she truly is such an inspiration! I'd like to add on to your analysis on Kruger's "Untitled (I shop therefore I am)." Not only was she trying to address the double standards people had in the 1980s, but she was criticizing how American society had somehow because "plastic." She was concerned with the fact that increasingly, individuals would gauge their self worth based on their material possessions rather than their inherent attributes and accomplishments. In my opinion, Kruger's work is much more relevant in today's society with more individuals consumed by their image and appearance than ever. She encourages us to look past the surface level of ourselves and others to realize our true self worth.
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https://publicdelivery.org/barbara-kruger-i-shop/
I really enjoyed reading your post because I had never heard of Barbara Kruger before and I did not know that Supreme was inspired by her art. To add onto how she created her works of art, Kruger manipulated images and text in photographic compositions. She started out her career as a graphic designer before exploring her interests elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteSource: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Barbara-Kruger