Mini Post #1 Barbara Kruger

Barbara Kruger, We don't need another hero, 1987

Barbara Kruger, a conceptual artist, was born on January 26, 1945 in Newark, NJ. Kruger is well known for her artistic pieces in regards to women and gender politics, as most of her work consists of black-and-white photographs. She displays a source of impact through her work, as she portrays a message of gender roles through art. She is well known the way she depicts her silkscreen prints with a direct caption regarding the print.

In Barbara Kruger's artwork, We don't need another hero, the girl is pointing towards the little boy's bicep. Through visualization, you can depict the boy portraying himself as a strong, masculine figure in comparison to the girl with the pig-tails. Along with that, the girl displays herself being mesmerized or fascinated by the masculinity of the little boy. However, Barbara Kruger, in bold text, says "We don't need another hero." Therefore, she is ironically contradicting the art work to its texts. As the artwork is designed to show male masculinity and superiority, the text says otherwise, as she contradicts the general stereotype of women needing men. In conclusion, gender roles as we see them in the image are too restricting, no-one can fit perfectly into these male or female role.

Additionally, directly speaking of Barbara Kruger's work, it can also relate to the idea of another hero not being needed, as the time frame of this work was during the time period of the war. This could be an interpretation of the relation of women during the war and after the war. 

https://www.widewalls.ch/political-art/the-kiss/