Research:
Barbara Kruger is an American conceptual artist and photographer. Her work uses the techniques of communication and advertising to explore gender and identity. The results of which create a struggle for power and control with the audience, and encourages questions about feminism, desire, and individuality.
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Many of Barbara Kruger’s work portrays found photographs that have typically been collected from mainstream magazines that advertise the identical ideas she is challenging. By using these photographs her work is categorized as being appropriation art, this being as the photographs have been ruptured to form a new meaning. |
| The productions of her work address issues through mass communication and advertising to explore gender and identity; this work is often labelled as having a feminist agenda. The captions within Barbara Kruger’s work address cultural conceptions of power, identity, gender and sexuality, often including pronouns which address the audience directly. |  |
My Response:
Initial response to appropriation. I used a stock photo of 4 children and completely altered their face to that of 3 animals and an eye. This could represent their personalities (observant, funny, wise / clever and brave / strong)… I chose black and white photographs as it would mean my alterations to the contrast and ‘curves’ of all the photos was more exaggerated.
I have changed the meaning of the photograph and made it my own.
Original photographs: From Shutterstock
I then went on and combined two photographs that contained the same meaning and were know for that meaning, but are made for a completely different purpose. (Winne the Pooh and The Thinker)
Original photographs:
Research:
From this I then explored appropriation designer Richard Prince and his work, using his work literally as the bases of my own along with another image from else where.
My Response:
Original Photographs:
Further using Richard Prince I altered a portrait of him to look comedic by exaggerating the eyes, ears and mouth using a Nicolas Cage photograph.
Original Photographs:
