Barbara Kruger, Jenny Holzer, and the Fashion Paradox

Hey Grads,
The topics are looking great so far. I can tell already that one class period will not be enough time!

After being a designer and photo editor, Barbara Kruger became a successful feminist artist. Her works from the 80's are easily recognizable; they are graphic (catchy combinations of image and text), accusatory, and declarative, usually employing the pronouns "we" vs. "you" as satirical commentary on the objectification and oppression of women in a male-powered society. They often use magazine or newspaper ad clippings and evoke questions about (among others) consumerism and fashion.

Some examples of her work:

http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/Literary_Criticism/feminism/kruger/kruger.htm

Seeing that this symposium is based on contemporary feminist art, however, I want to make the link between Kruger's iconographic style with some artists fabricating work today. One such artist I found is Jenny Holzer. She has a style similar to Kruger-- street advertising in public spaces, large text, clear messages.

http://mfx.dasburo.com/art/truisms.html
and

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://academic.hws.edu/art/exhibitions/laughter/images/holzer.gif&imgrefurl=http://academic.hws.edu/art/exhibitions/laughter/l2j.html&h=400&w=291&sz=70&tbnid=nwB2tlitCVYJ::&tbnh=124&tbnw=90&prev=/images%3Fq%3Djenny%2Bholzer&usg=__Xfbxfs-ehZjSupnsBLoNxFmKVVk=&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=2&ct=image&cd=1

No doubt I'll find more as the research continues.

But what are the contemporary body issues that relate to these artists? Well, fashion needs the body. It expresses creativity yet disciplines and harnesses the body. The paradoxes about fashion abound: Consumer pleasure/anxiety, Fashion as a collective identity/individual voice, craft and DIY in a post-modern digital age....

Jill