"Kruger is one of the world’s distinctive and provocative artists, known for her hybridized mass-media and text collages. In 1970s New York, Barbara Kruger began her career in the advertising world. Shortly after she would change professional directions, dedicating herself to art making with an emphasis on cultural critique. Her early (now iconic) collages combined provocative, and often cynical declaratory statements of text atop glossy images that seemed to be from magazines or American advertising. 'Surveillance' is an excellent example of Kruger’s powerful approach and unique style. Here a man armed with a loupe is partially covered by a menacing slogan, 'Surveillance is your busywork.' The viewer is confronted with a statement alluding to power politics; not just of commodity culture, but of gender politics and community hierarchies as well." (Caviar 20)
"Kruger is one of the world’s distinctive and provocative artists, known for her hybridized mass-media and text collages. In 1970s New York, Barbara Kruger began her career in the advertising world. Shortly after she would change professional directions, dedicating herself to art making with an emphasis on cultural critique. Her early (now iconic) collages combined provocative, and often cynical declaratory statements of text atop glossy images that seemed to be from magazines or American advertising. 'Surveillance' is an excellent example of Kruger’s powerful approach and unique style. Here a man armed with a loupe is partially covered by a menacing slogan, 'Surveillance is your busywork.' The viewer is confronted with a statement alluding to power politics; not just of commodity culture, but of gender politics and community hierarchies as well." (Caviar 20)