Here to Empower

           On august 20th, 2012 the  Smithonian's Hirshhorn museum opened Barbara Kruger's exhibition "Belief + Doubt" which filled the entire lower level lobby and extended into the bookstore. The entire 6,700 square feet of the gallery was covered with Kruger's work in red, black, and white color scheme. The purpose of this project was to raise doubt and awareness to the public about social and political issues through rhetorical questions and statements.  Her  provocative  art  interrogates the country's economic and governmental  circumstances.  Some of the works included "Who is beyond is the law?", "Who speaks?", and "Who is silent?" among others. 

                                                    National Gallery of Art 9/30/2016                Kruger new she was not cut out to work for magazines because she could not always fulfill the needs of others. She is particularly known for feminist, modern, contemporary, and conceptual artwork. Recognized as a significant artist in history, her work is daring, powerful, and outspoken. Her combination of images, humor, and the topics she touches upon include oppression, satire, and hypocrisy.

Picture/Readings      Her passion for abstract photography and captions led to the book she published " Picture/Readings " in 1978 which includes a collection of her works. The photographs were primarily taken in California and Florida from the perspective of anyone passing by, and included dramatic scenes reflecting her feminist conscience. The description that goes with each image is a short story about a women and the experience she is going through according to the image.The photographs rarely include indication of location and primarily focus on objects such as windows, corners, and roofs. The work was exhibited in the Mary Boone Gallery from November 1, 2007 up until December 22, 2007. 

Barbara Kruger Photographed in her New York Studio             Born January 26th 1945 in Newark, New Jersey into a middle class home, the artist grew up as a single child. Her mother was a legal secretary and her father a chemical technician. She attended Syracuse University and  Parsons School of Design where she received  significant influence, guidance, and training to become an editor and designer for a magazine but, then moved on to pursue a career in art. She began to write poetry, narratives, and performed her own work as well. After dabbling with painting  for a while she decided it was not something she was interested in and decided to go back to focusing on pictures and captions. 

Barbara Kruger 1989   Things change and work changes. Right now I like the idea of enveloping a space and getting messages across that connect to the world in ways that seem familiar but are different. I always say that I'm an artist who works with pictures and words, so I think that the different aspects of my activity, whether it's writing criticism, or doing visual work that incorporates writing, or teaching, or curating, is all of a single cloth, and I don't make any separation in terms of those practices. Look, we're all saddled with things that make us better or worse. This world is a crazy place, and I've chosen to make my work about that insanity. I think that art is still a site for resistance and for the telling of various stories, for validating certain subjectivities we normally overlook. I'm trying to be affective, to suggest changes, and to resist what I feel are the tyrannies of social life on a certain level. I didn't fi...

Yoko Ono's Poetry Book "Grape Fruit" 1964 AIR TALK It’s sad that the air is the only thing we share. No matter how close we get to each other, there is always air between us. It’s also nice that we share the air, No matter how far apart we are the air links us. from Lisson Gallery brochure ’67 MIRROR PIECE Instead of obtaining a mirror, obtain a person. Look into him. Use different people. Old, young, fat, small, etc. 1964 spring COLOR PIECE Visual world not exactly shaped — Sense of smell, anticipation, senses that are not exactly shaped — Dark shadows casted — Rat colors with faint hairly smells and pale dark spots like those on a transparent sheet of celluloid — Rose color with a glitter and softness that is cool and motional — The kind of color that does not exist by itself but only when it is casted between two moving objects — The color like a remaining stain of illusion on a moving object — The color that only happens w...

          Yoko Ono continued to make history through her art when in 2011 she won an award for being the oldest artist to become a number one hit at the age of 78 with her song "Move On Fast". In 2015 New York's Museum of Modern Art opened an exhibition in her honor which included over 100 pieces of her art work from the years of 1960 through 1971.  Yoko Ono continues to release albums, host exhibitions, is active on social media and engages in collaborations. The website   devoted to her movement "Imagine Peace" contains the most recent updates of the artists events, galleries, and music releases.

The LennonOno Grant For Peace                After the death of her husband, Ono continued to release albums, work on projects, and go on tours. She also inaugurated the "Lennon Ono Grant for Peace" award on October 9th, 2002 in honor of Lennon's 66th birthday, which has been granted to several individuals . For Lennon's birthday in 2007, Ono also created a peace tower on the island of Videy in Iceland to represent their devotion to world peace. 

       Yoko Ono and John Lennon chose their honey moon to be spent at the Hilton Hotel in Amsterdam while they protested for peace in bed. The project was named "Bed in for Peace" which began on March 25, 1969 and lasted one week, instead of the average honey moon. They invited the press to interview them twelve hours a day, many of the interviews were highly controversial and offensive towards the couple to provoke their movement. Signs were hung in the hotel room which promoted "Hair Peace" and "Bed Peace", they wore appropriate pajamas and decorated the room with flowers creating a peaceful aura. Yoko Ono and John Lennon "Bed in for Peace" 1969

Yoko Ono "Cut Piece"        Yoko Ono's artistic inspiration derived from the poetry she began to write upon moving to the United States. Her second husband Film Producer Anthony Cox, financially and emotionally supported her interactive artwork with the audience. One of her most famous art performances was called " Cut Piece ", Ono wanted to do include her audience to participate in her movement. This project involved people coming up to the stage in order to cut pieces of her clothes off  with a pair of scissors  until she was naked. Her purpose was to demonstrate that materialism should not matter because it can easily be destroyed. 

       Born in Tokyo Japan in 1933 Yoko Ono branched out as an artist in New York. When she met John Lennon in 1966, they instantly became attracted towards each other and married in 1969 until his murder in 1980. Their relationship was controversial and led her to be recognized as the woman who broke up Lennon's band "The Beatles", prior to their marriage her image was already depicted as hectic. Ono had a daring, provocative, and tempting personality which promoted her as a very fierce artist. Her relationship with Lennon inspired many different works such as music, film, and art. Although she is highly known for her relationship with Lennon, Ono is an independent, strong, and artistic figure on her own.

Linda Sarsour              Linda Sarsour is a civil rights activists who fights to deteriorate the stereotypes and racial bias against Muslim women. The day of the women's march in New York City Sarsour and other activists were arrested for disorderly conduct after protesting towards Trump's International Hotel. Sarsour is a recognizable and admirable women who is a mother of three children,  member of the Justice League in New York City, and an artist who is working towards police reform in New York. She has won several awards and honors on behalf of her dedication including the  “Champion of Change” awarded by the white house.       Emeline PankhurstPussy Riot never had the conception of their movement resulting to doing time in jail but they are definitely not the first feminist activists to be put behind bars for their beliefs. Emeline Pankhurst founded the founded the Women’s Social and Political Union i...

Pussy Riot's A Punk Prayer Poster             Listening to the word Balaclava might raise many questions. What is it? What does it mean? What is it used for?   The Balaclava is used for covering the face and most often made of wool. The members of Pussy Riot wear Balaclavas in order to keep their identities hidden, although some have been revealed. The mask separates  them from being just any other face protesting or trying to begin a movement. The bright neon colors attract people, keep their identities  safe, and make a statement. It is a ski mask, typically worn in cold weather to protect the face, but they are also infamously worn by burglars. Pussy Riot stands for revolution, rebellion, innovation, and transformation. They are here not to portray themselves as criminals but to take what they have came for, freedom, a voice, and their rights. The day of their performance "A Punk Prayer" they may have not expected to go to jail but a ...

    Pussy Riot is a Russian musical group that focuses primarily on the issues that must be fixed in their own home country but, that does not impede them from making a statement about political issues from other countries as well. President Donald Trump has caused serious political tension, separation within the country, and controversial acts that have lead to many uprisings.     His presidency began in January and four months later have felt as though years have passed due to his offensive speeches and indescribable decisions. Pussy Riot's song " Make America Great Again " is dedicated to all of the racist comments and decisions he has made prior to his presidency.  Pussy Riot took the decision upon themselves to stand up for Americans through this mock of Donald Trump in which the artist is branded, attacked, and abused while she is being put in jail.     Making America great again is depicted through different characters in the video but...

                     The group has previously explained their political standing as liberal, anarchist, feminist, and anti-authoritarianism towards Russian President Vladimir Putin. Their primary purpose is bringing to light political and social issues such as health care, education, women empowerment, LGBTQ rights and awareness. All of their acts are performed in unauthorized and illegal areas in order to enhance their passion for resistance and to catch the attention of government authority. Legal abortion is also a topic of which they focus on due to legislation that put restrictions on the decisions women have over their bodies. The members of Pussy Riot see themselves as feminist artists who speak for others that do not, they find inspiration in other artists such as Riot Girl, Bikini Kill, Oil!, Judith Butler, and Karen Finley.

    This challenging, inspiration, and exciting group of about 11 women are a well recognized punk rock group that is was established in Moscow Russia in August 2011. The young women's ages vary from their 20's through their 30's and most chose to remain anonymous.  They began their movement by performing their provocative music in areas that were not prohibited which ignited their fame on social media and throughout the country. Their songs are primarily based on women’s rights, the LGBTQ community, and their strong opinion towards President Vladimir Putin who is perceived as a dictator. Some of their albums are kill the sexist, pussy riot won't get fooled again, and XXX , which primarily contain feminist  songs about opposition. Their rebellious  nature has caused them to be arrested on multiple occasions .  Members of Pussy Riot on Trial    Their most well-known concert was when five of the members hosted an unauthorized event at th...

"I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best."- Frida khalo       The Guerrilla Girls use names of famous artists in order to hide their personal identities. The names they use are of feminist artists who have made significant contributions to the world of art.   Born on July 6th, 1907, Frida Khalo was a Mexican Artist who expressed her art through self portraits and is still recognized as  a significant feminist icon. Her work depicted the pain, loss, and love she experienced through out her long hardships and obstacles. After being severely injured in a bus accident on September 17th 1925, she began to express her emotions through art, drawing self portraits of her agony. She also became more politically active after joining the Young Communist League and the Mexican Communist Party. Soon after her incident she married Diego Rivera after reconnecting with him in 1928, he supported her work and they appea...

Confessions of the Guerrilla Girls the book (1995)                Although these powerful women chose to remain anonymous in order to protect their identities contacting and connecting with them is easier than it seems. The  Guerrilla Girls  have their own personal website where they can easily be contacted, booked for an event, and their upcoming projects are included. They can also be reach  through social media accounts such as Instagram,Twitter, and Facebook @GuerrillaGirls .

Be a Loser Be Bold  Be Crazy  Be Anonymous Be different  Be an outsider Be unique  Be tough  Be strong  Be a feminist Be courageous  Be daring Be spontaneous  Be confident Be yourself 

          The Guerrilla Girls symbolize freedom fighters who push forward a movement of change, empowerment, and social justice. They demand for those who support their movement to make an impact on society of their own. Using art to promote social change is one method but there are hundredths of approaches to making a difference that can be done through social media, marketing, volunteering to stand up for your beliefs. Complain, ask questions, and do not let others change a personal passionate opinion you have. Think of a social or political topic that makes you angry, upset,or want to stand up and put a stop to it. Know your movement and the purpose behind your actions.  Understand and educate yourself about what you are pursuing. Whether you are passionate about: Environmental change,  Animal abuse, homelessness, or Transgender equality   Diseases Politics or Children             it is ess...

 Guerilla Girls Proclaim Internet too Male, too Pale 1995          The Guerrilla girls symbolize the possibility of matriarchal society, in which men are not viewed as the primary source of income, the head of their family, or the President of every company. These women fight for the voice of thousands of female artists that have been isolated, neglected, and silenced for many years. Female inequality and oppression is a social dilemma that has been present for centuries. The Guerrilla girls use artwork, posters, discussions, and galleries to convey their message to empower female artists. Their book “Confessions of The Guerrilla Girls” includes an essay on their history, an interview, posters, projects, love and hate letters, and even post cards.  The Advantages of Being a Woman Artist 1987      Even being a women artist has become an issue of social inequality, art should be expressed without boundaries or restraints....