Do Everything in the Dark

Do Everything in the Dark

Untitled (light bulb)

Before she became an '80's art star, Barbara Kruger made a living as a graphic designer (she worked, in fact, for the photographic journal Aperture in the 1960's). Content aside, her large photo and text-based works reflect a solid grounding in modernist design, particularly Swiss design, Bauhaus and the colors of Constructivism. Part of what is interesting about her aesthetic is her ability to adapt her signature red, black and white Futura Bold Italic style to everything from postcards and matchbook covers to billboards and room-sized installations. So, even though her constructions are mainly found on volumes of Sociology, Literary Theory and Women's Studies, she can design a series of book covers for her colleague-in-arms, the critic and writer Gary Indiana, and have the result be compelling design as well as an instantly recognizable Barbara Kruger statement. KB