Barbara Kruger was born in New Jersey in 1945 into a lower middle class, Jewish family. Her family was harassed by anti-Semitics when she was younger. Kruger uses personal pronouns, making the works interactive and personal: you, we, and I and society at large are being called into question. All the photographs Kruger uses are familiar somehow – they are taken from mass culture (Gauss, 98).
In Surveillance is your busywork Kruger uses the large, disturbing face as a parallel to a nefarious character such as Big Brother. The bold diagonal labeled “surveillance” compounds the tone and content of the photograph. With no personalizing details the giant face seems more sinister. The work “surveillance” also suggests ominous beings and groups: espionage, secret police, and detectives. Also, “busywork” is seen as something we don’t want to be bothered with, but yet we have to do it. By combining the two words, Kruger sets up a man who would rather be doing things that are more important (more evil, perhaps), but for now he has to be bothered with keeping track and spying on people. Kruger hints at governmental activity, as well as individual scheming, to convey her message.
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