Photography has saturated us as spectators from its inception amidst a mingling of laboratorial pursuits and magic acts to its current status as propagator of convention, cultural commodity, and global hobby. Barbara Kruger More Quotes by Barbara Kruger More Quotes From Barbara Kruger I work with pictures and words because they have the ability to determine who we are, what we want to be and what we become. Barbara Kruger pictures-and-wordswho-we-arewant I see my work as a series of attempts to ruin certain representations and to welcome a female spectator into the audience of men. If this work is considered incorrect, all the better, for my attempts aim to undermine that singular pontificating male voice-over which correctly instructs our pleasures and histories or lack of them. Barbara Kruger malesvoicemen GIVE YOUR BRAIN AS MUCH ATTENTION AS YOU DO YOUR HAIR AND YOU'LL BE A THOUSAND TIMES BETTER OFF. Barbara Kruger brainhairgiving Do you know why language manifests itself the way it does in my work? It's because I understand short attention spans. Barbara Kruger expressiondoeart I mean, making art is about objectifying your experience of the world, transforming the flow of moments into something visual, or textual, or musical, whatever. Art creates a kind of commentary. Barbara Kruger musicalmeanart Seeing is no longer believing. The very notion of truth has been put into crisis. In a world bloated with images, we are finally learning that photographs do indeed lie. Barbara Kruger believelyingworld I'm trying to engage issues of power and sexuality and money and life and death and power. Power is the most free-flowing element in society, maybe next to money, but in fact they both motor each other. Barbara Kruger life-and-deathissuespower I think that art is still a site for resistance and for the telling of various stories, for validating certain subjectivities we normally overlook. I'm trying to be affective, to suggest changes, and to resist what I feel are the tyrannies of social life on a certain level. Barbara Kruger tryingartthinking Money talks. It makes art. It determines what food we eat, whether we are cured or die, and what shoes we wear. Barbara Kruger money-talksshoesart I think what I'm trying to do is create moments of recognition. To try to detonate some kind of feeling or understanding of lived experience. Barbara Kruger understandingfeelingsthinking But I really resist categories – that naming is a closing down of meaning. Women's art, political art – those categorisations perpetuate a certain kind of marginality which I'm resistant to. But I absolutely define myself as a feminist. Barbara Kruger feministpoliticalart I try to deal with the complexities of power and social life, but as far as the visual presentation goes I purposely avoid a high degree of difficulty. Barbara Kruger degreesartisttrying I have no complaints, except for the world. Barbara Kruger complaintsworld I'm living my life, not buying a lifestyle. Barbara Kruger lifestyleliving-my-lifebuying I think I developed language skills to deal with threat. It's the girl thing to do-you know, instead of pulling out a gun. Barbara Kruger girlgunartist What I'm trying to do is create moments of recognition. Barbara Kruger recognitionmomentstrying You want it, you buy it, you forget it. Barbara Kruger forget-itwantforget Listen: our culture is saturated with irony whether we know it or not. Barbara Kruger ironyartistculture It's a small world, but not if you have to clean it Barbara Kruger small-worldcleanworld The place of the arts in the classroom is essential in encouraging invention, ambition, and an understanding of the importance and pleasures of living an examined life. Barbara Kruger understandingambitionart
