Run That by Me Again

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Lyrical. Sarcastic. Poetic. Instructional. Even laughable. Artists hold nothing back in the communications department. Call it “signage”, “captions”, “aphorisms”, “slogans” or “poetry”, artists simply cut to the chase. No extrapolations are needed nor the reading of tea leaves. Since the iconic cartoon strips of Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein in the 60’s to the provocative poster campaign of the Guerrilla Girls circa 1989, we see the continuing influence of graffiti and advertising on art and fashion. Todays’ artists, however, take the love of language and aesthetics to levels unparalleled. Via paint, print, Siri, LED light installation, billboard, and fire – yes, fire! – artists highjack the very means of advertising to craft messages. Some displays aren’t tethered to museum walls but are site-specific and appear where the lay person resides: on buildings, at bus stops, on T-shirts, on iPhones and even on condom packaging. Installation artist Robert Montgomery expounds: “Touching real people in that it works there out in the world…matters to me”. (“Urban Poet Robert Montgomery” Crane TV 2012). Indeed, it does, and these works reveal individuals ruminating on culture, selfhood, marginalization, war, gun control, sex and of course, the occasional deadpan humor. Interested? Read on!

One thing is certain and that is this – These artists are so hot, hot enough to melt the paint off the walls!

The Lovelorn:

Installation artist Barbara Kruger makes a tender appeal:

 

Baron Von Fancy prefers the immediacy of aphorisms:

 

 

Artist Esmeralda Kosmatopoulos finds companionship in Siri:

 

Artist Esmeralda Kosmatopoulos seeks conjugal bliss:

 

The artist as existentialist:

Illustrator Julie Houts examines the unexamined:

 

Slogans on accessories for everyday:

 

Just in time for summer, Ms. Kruger uses the medium of eyewear.

 

All political leanings aside, artist Juergen Teller hungers for a different ideology:

 

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We’ve all got baggage – emotional baggage, that is. And multimedia artist Baron Von Fancy offers a snazzy tote in which to store it. – “How Instagram Launched Artist Baron Von Fancy’s Career” by Wael Davis for Style Caster.

Right: “Emotional Baggage” by Baron Von Fancy for Juicy Couture. Milk Studios, 2014. Spring Collection[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row bg_type=”bg_color” ult_hide_row=”ult_hide_row_value” ult_hide_row_large_screen=”large_screen” ult_hide_row_desktop=”desktop” ult_hide_row_tablet=”tablet”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

 

We’ve all got baggage – emotional baggage, that is. And multimedia artist Baron Von Fancy offers a snazzy tote in which to store it. – “How Instagram Launched Artist Baron Von Fancy’s Career” by Wael Davis for Style Caster.

Right: “Emotional Baggage” by Baron Von Fancy for Juicy Couture. Milk Studios, 2014. Spring Collection[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row bg_type=”bg_color” ult_hide_row=”ult_hide_row_value” ult_hide_row_tablet_small=”xs_tablet” ult_hide_row_mobile=”mobile” ult_hide_row_mobile_large=”xl_mobile”][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Jenny Holzer’s vision extends to prophylactics:

Right: Jenny Holzer’s Condom Packaging from the series “Truism: Men Don’t Protect You Anymore” 1983[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row bg_type=”bg_color” ult_hide_row=”ult_hide_row_value” ult_hide_row_large_screen=”large_screen” ult_hide_row_desktop=”desktop” ult_hide_row_tablet=”tablet”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Jenny Holzer’s vision extends to prophylactics:

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The resonance of poetry in site-specific spaces:

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Instructional:

Illustrator Julie Houts provides step-by-step instructions for a ubiquitous art:

 

Ruminating on victims of war:

 

“Softer: Jenny Holzer at Blenheim Palace” September 27, 2107 to December 31, 2018, Blenheim Palace, England

As one of America’s most loved living artists since the 1980s, Holzer’s practice circled around language in order to question systems of power and authority in society. Since 2010, Holzer’s work has been focused particularly on modern conflict. On her first visit to Blenheim Palace, she became fascinated by the palace’s own military history; not only as the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, but also originally built as a reward to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, for military triumphs in the 1704 Battle of Blenheim. Holzer used this legacy as a starting point to look at the timeless and universal theme of conflict, across time and countries.

Using technology, stonework, light projections, a virtual reality mobile app developed by Holition, and her celebrated LED light installations, Holzer engaged with the historical precedents that have cemented Blenheim Palace’s enduring legacy, and offered descriptions of life during wartime, recounting real experiences of soldiers and civilians. (from Jenny Holzer/Blenheim Art Foundation 2018)

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 Sarcasm:

 Jenny Holzer advocates for the wide-spread use of fire-arms:

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The voice of the marginalized:

Glenn Ligon on being an African-American:

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The Guerrilla Girls deploy tongue-in-cheek:

 

Above is an early poster from the Guerrilla Girls. It exemplified the use of humor to defuse and break down discrimination in the art world. (The Art Story: Modern Art Insight “Important Art and Artists of Feminist Art”).

The Guerrilla Girls were an anonymous collective of artist-activists who promoted gender and racial equality. To maintain their anonymity, group members wore gorilla masks in public and adopted the names of historic women artists, such as Käthe Kollwitz and Frida Kahlo, as pseudonyms. Their posters first appeared in 1985, pasted onto structures in lower Manhattan.

Combining bold advertising-style graphics with eye-opening facts and figures, the posters detailed discrimination by the city’s art galleries and museums against women artists and artists of color. (from“Guerrilla Girls: Active since 1985” National Museum of Women in the Arts).

Acting as barometers of culture, these thought leaders use their craft in various mediums to provide not only a new aesthetic but titillate the public. In some instances, they not only reflect culture but defy it. In choosing site-specific spaces or selecting accessories on which to advertise their work, artists permeate their surroundings. These artists continue to break new ground and provide tremendously thrilling verse in personal and thought provoking ways.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]