"Charisma is the perfume of your gods"

Combining graphics reminiscent of Life and Look magazines with acerbic text, Barbara Kruger’s images expose the hypocrisy, misogyny, violence, consumerism, and ignorance of modern society. Her black, white, and red palette further invokes the Russian and Eastern European avant-gardes of the early 20th century, underscoring the critique of power and capital that vibrates throughout Charisma is the perfume of your gods, which destabilizes the image of a coin resembling the U.S. quarter.

Kruger’s work takes on new meaning when her images appear on a diverse range of media, from t-shirts, mugs, and tote bags to matchbooks and subway cards. Writ small, Kruger’s images circulate insidiously, infiltrating the realm of the everyday. When Kruger enlarges her images to the scale of a room, immersing the viewer in an oppressive environment, the work takes on totalitarian dimensions. Kruger’s objects also consciously address themselves to varying demographics: skateboards that say “Don’t be a jerk” (a play on goods produced by the streetwear brand Supreme, whose logo actually derives from Kruger’s work) target a very different audience than the one that might be interested in the 18-carat white gold charm of the coin motif from Charisma, which bears the phrase, “Money can buy you Love.”