Installation photograph, courtesy of Museum Associates/LACMA
Even if you don’t know Barbara Kruger’s name, you’ve likely seen her work, or at least some of the plethora of logos, memes, advertisements, and logos that have knocked off her style.
Immerse yourself in Kruger’s thought-provoking world at LACMA, where the new show, Barbara Kruger: Thinking of You. I Mean Me. I Mean You opened on March 20.
The biggest Kruger show in 20 years, this new exhibition includes her most famous work, “Untitled (Your Body is a Battleground),” which dates back to 1989 but remains as relevant as ever.
Known for her critiques of conventionality and our culture, Kruger remains a provocateur at age 77. Her artful comments on greed, sociopathy, and narcissism have made her one of the most influential and imitated artists of our time.
Truth by Barbara Kruger. This photo and images below by Karin E. Baker for The LA Beat.
Kruger is no stranger to LACMA – her first show here was in 1985, In addition, a three-story Barbara Kruger elevator has inhabited the museum’s Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM) since 2008.
Kruger is best known for merging text with images, creating work that challenges and questions social beliefs about power, capitalism, human rights, and more.
An entire room is made up of collages of appropriations of Kruger’s work. Other rooms feature iconic artworks, vinyl wraps, and large-scale LED videos covering the walls. You’ll also encounter sensory engagement in the sounds of cash registers and human voices. Some Kruger audio soundscapes currently play throughout the grounds of LACMA.
More of Kruger’s work can currently be seen on the Wilshire-facing exterior of BCAM and on the fence around the in-progress David Geffen Galleries.
A three-city retrospective of four decades of work, Thinking of You. I Mean Me. I Mean You appeared at the Art Institute of Chicago before arriving at LACMA. After its LA run, the show will move to New York City’s MOMA.
You can see Thinking of You. I Mean Me. I Mean You at BCAM at LACMA through July 17.
