"We will not become what we mean to you"

“We will not become what we mean to you.”

It’s such a simple phrase, but has so much power. Two years ago, on an impromptu excursion to the Art Institute of Chicago, I, not an “art guru” by any means, stumbled upon this phrase in one of the wings. I remember the feeling I got-the chills that ran through my body. It was the first time I had ever felt like that while looking at art. Sure, I had thought particular pieces were beautiful, but never powerful. I couldn’t describe to you the backdrop, the image attached to the words. For some reason, I remember a black canvas. Perhaps it was because the phrase overwhelmed me. I made a point to remember the artist. It was Barbara Kruger.

Coming into this class, before reading the selections, I felt a love for Barbara Kruger, even after just seeing one of her pieces. I had no idea that her mission “is to erode the impassivity engendered by the imposition of social norms” (Katie Linker 28). Nor did I have any clue that she challenges the gender roles society has assigned to us in such powerful way. After reading Linker’s “Love for Sale” and the excerpt from Terry Barrett’s “Criticizing Photographs”, I have a greater understanding of Kruger’s mission, which is to challenge what the media in our society has imprinted in our brains about sexuality, gender roles, morals, ethics, politics, and history.

What makes Kruger so memorable to me is not the particular messages she is trying to send, but the power behind her messages. Linker’s quote from Foucault describes Kruger’s power the best:

“…It does not simply weigh like a force which says no, but that it runs through, and it produces, things, it induces pleasure, it forms knowledge, it produces discourse…which runs through the entire body…”

Barbara Kruger’s art ran through my body like my blood two years ago, forever imprinting that simple phrase into my memory, and her collection of artwork runs through our society, getting through to individuals to the masses one view at a time.

I really wanted to find the image of this artwork that made such an impression on me, but I couldn't find it after searching for a while. Right off the bat, the image that I did include caught my eye because both the image and the text are powerful. Even though the image is very powerful, it doesn't overshadow the meaning in the text. It is certainly displaying Kruger's opinion on society-imposed gender roles and femininity.