barbara kruger at guild hall

one of the nice things about the hamptons besides the beaches is that there is actually some culture.  guild hall does a great job from the museum to theater.  small and intimate but they are in many ways the place where all people connected to the art world out here supports.  they are, for lack of a better word, the rock.

barbara kruger is the exhibit right now which runs through october.  i have always been a fan of her work even thought it really has not changed that much in 30 years.  she basically does work that is based on cultural observations through her eyes.  one of my all time favorites, "I shop, therefore I am" is spot on and just pointing out the obvious imho.  the wording around the wall is "money makes money but a rich man's jokes are always funny".

this particular installation really points to excess.  do you need that next purchase, do you need that botox, do you need re-hab, do you feel better because you do yoga but make a million bucks? it is about the high end wealthy culture of excess today.  certainly installing this in east hampton hits right to the core of the group of people she is making observations about.  it might be about the world we live in that wants instant gratification including the access to texting and social media right now.  the relevancy of the haves and have-nots too.  is she is making you think or more to the point hitting you right between the eyes.  

regardless, i got a kick out of it.  jessica found it annoying and ridiculous.  i guess that what art is all about.