Barbara Krugers work has always interested me. I love working with text and typefaces. The direct communication is a beautiful and clear way of evoking feelings. Placing a strong phrase on top of an appropriate image is so effective.

‘I Shop Therefore I Am’ is such a powerful commentary on materialism and our need to indulge in consumerism. We are all under the guise of this phenomenon and this work addresses that clearly and distinctly. The visual aesthetic alone comforts me in a way that no work has ever comforted me before. The hand placed behind the box and text is in black and white, creating a strong contrast. The sharp corners of the bright red box almost poke into the fleshy background.

Owning things and purchasing material items is something everyone has in common. We all fall victim to consumerism and the way Kruger has executed this in a straightforward art work is just sublime.

‘Your Body Is A Battleground’ is another piece of Krugers that I like very much. Referring to the female body, I feel this is a very empowering piece of work. Not just to women but to men as well. While it doesn’t refer to men directly, I personally get feelings of pride, confidence, power, strength and happiness from this piece.

I am a firm believer in civil rights and human rights. I see men and women as equals and I support any opportunity that raises awareness of equality, especially in the art world. Calling myself a Feminist would make sense, but I would feel like a fraud because I don’t actively do anything about inequality. I need to educate myself on the history of it. Whenever I am in a conversation or debate about gender equality I will fight my corner and air my views like any other Feminist - I just need to read more about it all so I feel justified. I hope that doesn’t sound naive. We see discrimination every day in many forms and whenever I witness it I feel ashamed on behalf of the human race. People I call my friends and even relatives are racist and sexist at times - what should I do? They would make homophobic comments and when I call them out on it they would label me a kill joy and brush it off as joke. I can take that, I can take their ignorance in small doses.

This is why artworks like Krugers make me feel positive. She cuts the bullshit and gets straight to the point.