- Words Nicholas Douglas
Barbara Kruger returns to Serpentine Galleries with the new exhibition, Thinking of You. I Mean Me. I Mean You., spotlighting her emblematic style across different mediums.
Forever evolving and adapting, Barbara Kruger’s emblematic artworks have always reigned supreme. Now, the American conceptual artist is exhibiting her first show in London for over 20 years. Titled Thinking of You. I Mean Me. I Mean You., the installation gathers the graphic designer’s work across multiple mediums and moments from her career.
This is the second time Barbara’s displayed her work in Serpentine Galleries, a free contemporary art space located in London’s Kensington Gardens, following Wall to Wall in 1994. However, whereas the previous exhibition united 20 artists, Thinking of You. I Mean Me. I Mean You. only involves the Newark native’s iconic visual codes, which are known to critique consumerism, class and social injustices.
Featuring a selection of moving image works and soundscapes, the exhibition presents the strength in her work at seamlessly creating impactful messages over multiple mediums. The Futura text and red box over black and white imagery that’s dominated her previous pieces is often cited as the inspiration behind Supreme’s infamous box logo. In fact, Highsnobiety reported six years ago that the streetwear brand’s founder, James Jebbia, lent a Barbara Kruger book to the graphic designer to help him create the logo.
Barbara’s designs remain incredibly influential, borrowing aesthetics from advertisements and other media to convey her radical messages. Thinking of You. I Mean Me. I Mean You. is open at Serpentine South Galleries from now until March 17.